


Invisible Wounds

by Selah



Series: Deluhi [10]
Category: Heroes of the Storm (Video Game), Overwatch (Video Game), StarCraft, World of Warcraft
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien/Human Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Telepathy, headcanons galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-04-06 05:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14050383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selah/pseuds/Selah
Summary: The Nexus is filled with those hiding their hurts. The ongoing expansions bring old wounds to the surface as new players are brought into the realms.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I said before I'd have a fluff piece and THEN get to Allie and Hanzo, but apparently they decided to combine forces. Somewhat. Ok, there is very little fluff in this, plus I'm still drafting this fic, so I'm not sure if Hanzo will make it into this one or not.
> 
> Also introduces "n'rithaa" as Tass's pet name for Hana. Official sources translate it as "little arrow," though like with "talandar" for Raynor, it's a bit more nuanced than that.
> 
> [eta] not everyone tagged appears in this chapter, SORRY ABOUT THAT. Trying to get as many relevant tags on this at the start so I don't forget something important later.

Hana woke to the sound of banging hammers and muted voices, and for a long moment she couldn't understand it at all. Rolling over, she blinked up at the carved wooden ceiling in confusion for another long moment before it all clicked back together. This was Nemai'Aran, the new Kaldorei city, and Tyrande herself had released her from the their Temple of Elune. The generous, plush bed was empty of anyone but herself, but she could feel Tassadar in a corner of her mind. And no pain.

_:Elune has done what I could not. You should never again feel pain from the bond.:_

Hana gasped and shivered; Tassadar's telepathy had never before felt like that, so much more than just the plain words he had sparingly used with her up to now, even more than the fleeting brushes of emotions that had bled into her with his touch. This was more like the few times they had joined completely, it was verging on being completely overwhelming. She felt his apology and it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Worse, she could feel his confusion, his mental touch fading in his determination not to make things worse, and somehow that hurt even more. She stumbled, practically tripping over her own two feet in her rush to get out of bed to go to him, to fix this mess she had somehow made.

“Whoa, whoa, easy Hana, deep breath, yeah?”

Looking up, she was surprised to see Raynor there, offering her a hand up off the floor.

“But,” she started, biting her lip when she felt a sob catching in her throat. They were alone in a screened off portion of a larger room that was open to the city on the far side. Was this their room at the inn, then?

“It's all right, Hana, but you should probably get dressed first, yeah?”

Frowning, she glanced down and then blushed bright red as she realized she was completely naked. God, could this _get_ any worse?

“Hana, seriously, deep breath and stop panicking, yeah? It's okay, everything's fine, but you need to relax,” Raynor insisted softly. Hana nodded, closing her eyes as she forced herself to take a deep breath. Nothing good came from panicking, she knew that, but getting the panic to stop was easier said than done. And then Raynor was pulling her into his arms and it was almost like he was somehow sharing his calm with her.

“That's it, deep breaths,” he murmured, hugging her tight and kissing the top of her head. “I told him we needed to ease you into this, but apparently we have different definitions of the word slow.”

“How ... you ... you're bonded ... he's a telepath ... how is that even possible??” Hana stammered, another soft wash of apology sliding over her.

_:Only when we are perfectly aligned as one is there no longer room for misunderstanding.:_

Hana glanced up, half expecting to see Tassadar standing there, to feel his hand on her skin, but there was nothing, just her and Raynor. Another shudder as she took another deep breath and then she forced herself to step back, to walk over to the wardrobe. Looking over the elvish tunics, she couldn't help a soft sigh.

“When can I go home?” she asked as she selected a tunic. “The fel fire is out of my system now, right? So why are we still here?”

_:Your body has been cleaned and healed, but you still have more healing to do.:_

“I don't want to ... to work through it, I just want to forget. I want the whole incident erased from my memory. I don't care how childish you think that makes me, I don't want those memories! Any of them!”

It was a strange sensation, feeling the way Tassadar's mental touch narrowed as the absent templar focused on only her, dropping Raynor completely from their telepathic loop.

 _:_ N'rithaa _, we have spoken of this. I know you hurt, but do not ask this of us.:_

She bit her lip, wanting to ask for clarification and yet not sure how. Would just thinking it be enough or did she need to say the words?

 _:Even if you forget, we will remember. All of us. You are not alone in your pain,_ n'rithaa _. You are Khalai, you are never alone. You will always have our support.:_

“I don't understand,” she mumbled before she could stop herself. And then Tassadar triggered her memory of that night, the first time they had joined completely. She hadn't noticed it properly then and in the two times since he had kept her screened, shielded from the rest of the Khala. But now that he was guiding her through the memory, there it was, the moment she had been bonded into the Khala.

“But ... but that was _months_ ago!” she said, shocked and even a bit horrified that she hadn't figured it out on her own. “You mean all those times you said....”

“It's about time you figured that one out, baby girl,” Raynor said, smirking. “I'd be jealous, but you've needed the Khala's strength way more than I have.”

“Then you...?” but she couldn't quite bring herself to finish that question, afraid that he was harboring anger or resentment at the differences in their statuses.

“Only just last night,” the commander said with a shrug. “Like I said, you needed it more than I have. I may have been a shit boyfriend a few times, but doubting Tass's feelings was never the problem.”

“But then ... that thing he said yesterday about making it public....”

“He was talking about the rest of the alliance, yes,” Raynor said with a little nod. “The Khalai have known since he bonded you that we are three.”

_:Three warriors, one heart.:_

Maybe it was stupid, but Hana couldn't help it, collapsing to the wooden floor as tears ran down her cheeks. Raynor scooped her up into his arms almost too easily and she clung to him.

_:Wherever you are, with us, you are home.:_

Home. It was the one thing for which she had been searching for all these years. To have finally found it in the Nexus ... it terrified her. What would she do when the Nexus ended?

 _:Is not today filled with trouble enough,_ n'rithaa _? Do not waste energy on such fears.:_

She wished it could be that simple.

~*~*~

The crack of thunder would have been enough to get anyone's attention, especially on such a mild, clear day. Hana tried to sit up, but while she could see Sentinels running about, shouting to each other in Darnassian, she couldn't understand any of it. Sometimes she felt like having even what little telepathic ability she now had was less useful than a hundred science fiction plots had led her to believe.

“Tass?” she asked, glancing up at the Protoss behind her. “What's going on?”

 _:Stay here,_ n'rithaa _,:_ he sent, fingertips briefly brushing against her shoulder to reinforce his desire that she stay safe while he investigated. She huffed a sigh as she watched him go, turning off her tablet and setting it on the table. Thunder without lightning ... a sonic boom could have a number of sources if they were back on Earth, but she was less certain about here in the Nexus. Both the Protoss and Raynor's Raiders had hypersonic craft, but as far as she had been able to tell, neither had much use for them here. Pilots were still going up to fly, of course, they were pilots. But would they be flying over Nemai'Aran? She wasn't even sure where they were in relation to Khor-emeth, only that the Protoss city was on a broad plain, Thrall's Drakamar was up in the distant mountains, and this city was in deep forest. Far enough apart to need to fly between them, but.....

“You know, it's not healthy to always be wound this tightly, dear.”

Hana blinked. She was certain that chair had been empty a moment ago.

“Lady Chronormu....”

“Chromie is just fine, Hana dear.”

“Lady Chromie –.”

“Just Chromie,” the ancient dragon in a female gnome's body said, a hardness glittering in her eyes even with the grin on her face.

“What, um, brings you to Nemai'Aran?” she asked, not sure if it was even appropriate of her to be asking such a thing. After all, it wasn't like she was anyone important, just a displaced MEKA pilot on medical leave in an elvish city that wasn't even half built.

“Where else would I be at a time like this?” the bronze dragon asked, her grin getting even bigger. The shouting got louder, a knot of elves moving towards the temple.

“Oh right, over there,” Chromie said, frowning and then vanishing. Hana wondered what that had been about, mentally reaching for Tassadar, but he was busy, promising to explain when he could. That ... didn't make a lot of sense to her, but she picked up her tablet again anyway. Not that it did her much good, since Nemai'Aran was a Kaldorei city, built to Kaldorei tech standards, which was to say virtually none. She could _sort of_ understand why, but not being able to play made her miss her games even more. 

So she was surprised when a little box popped up to inform her she was reconnected to the Protoss network. And then it clicked, her tablet tossed back onto the table as she got up, shoving her feet into soft-soled boots before running off towards the landing area at the far edge of the city. Of course Raynor got to her before she could actually get that far, laughing and swinging her up into his arms as if they hadn't seen enough other in days instead of just a couple of hours. But then again, Raynor was always like that, making her feel treasured like that.

“Hey baby girl, miss me or something?”

“How strong's your psi rating?”

“Just barely above latent, why?” he asked, frowning.

“Something's going on, can't you tell?” she said, pouting a little. And yet, even as she said it, she realized the city had gone quiet again. Did that mean ... but still that busy buzzy feeling from Tassadar. She didn't want to push, so she focused back on Raynor again.

“When I asked about it before, Tass said he was too busy to explain, which doesn't make sense to me at all, but then again I'm still new to this whole telepathy thing, so I thought maybe you...?”

“Depends on what he's doing. If he says he's too busy, I trust him to mean it. I'm sure he'll explain when he can,” Raynor said, tucking an arm around her as he started towards the dining room where Hana was spending her days for the moment. She would have preferred being back at the Overwatch Tower or better yet, moving into an apartment in Khor-emeth proper, but since Tassadar was still insisting she stay here with the Kaldorei....

“So I guess you didn't see or hear anything on your way in then,” she said with a sigh.

“Was I supposed to?”

“Well, there was a sonic boom like five minutes or so before you got here that had the whole city, well, what there is of it, in a flurry.”

“Not from my boys, I don't think, but hand me your tablet and I'll double check. Pilots aren't supposed to come out here without specific orders, in deference to the Kaldorei's stated wishes. Well, Lunara's wishes, anyway,” Raynor explained. “The plains go right down to the ocean, we direct them on paths that way. Hey Artanis, can I get you to check flight paths for me?”

_“Why can you not do this yourself? You have the clearance.”_

“Because I'm a lazy ass who doesn't want to tramp all the way back down to my scout when I can just use Hana's tablet to call you?”

_“... fair enough. What am I looking for? And how is Miss Song?”_

“Any flight activity around Nemai'Aran about five to ten minutes before I got here. And stop acting like the Khala doesn't already know as well as I do how she's doing.”

_“Of course the Khala knows, but in my experience, you humans prefer to be asked. Especially since she isn't joined in the same way. Ah yes, a transdimensional rift was detected at about that time, quite small and only lasting long enough to allow passage of one bio unit. The AI tagged it as anomalous but not of immediate concern as it was too small and too distant from the city to be considered a threat.”_

“Didn't sound that distant,” Hana muttered, startled when that got a laugh from Artanis.

 _“Probably not,”_ the templar agreed, _“but since the mass detected was less than that of a power-armored zealot, the AI deemed it unlikely to warrant our attention. If Nemai'Aran was in our network, it would have notified the Sentinels, but since it is not....”_

“Sonic boom in the middle of a forest that isn't supposed to have such things? It got noticed just fine,” Hana said with a low huff.

_“... was the AI wrong? Do I need to dispatch assistance?”_

“The city's gone quiet now and Tass feels fine,” Raynor said with a shake of his head. “Busy but fine. Whatever came through, he and the Kaldorei seem to have a handle on it.”

“... a dragon....”

“Huh?”

“A dragon. Well, a dragon in humanoid form, from those readings. Chromie was here, sitting at this table, when a bunch of elves hurried into the temple. If Chromie's involved, that means it's a dragon ... doesn't it?”

“You'd know more about it then either of us, I'd wager,” Raynor said with a small smile. “I haven't gotten to the books on the dragons of Azeroth yet.”

_“According to this, the Nexus is in active expansion again. Or rather, still. Seems your Draenei friends are not the only ones who have been ensnared lately. Raynor, I'm calling a Council meeting for this evening, though of the two of you, it might be better to have Lord Tassadar return.”_

“We'll figure it out. Thanks, Artanis.”

“I take it our arrival has caused trouble.”

Hana started to get up, but Boros waved her back while his companion brought over the kettle from the open hearth, refilling teacups before pouring two more.

“Please to pardon our intrusion, Lord Commander,” the bulky Draenei Vindicator said, a hand over his heart. “We had hoped only to inquire when we might acquire transportation to Khor-emeth, but it can wait if now is a bad time, yes?”

The words seemed rather at odds with the way the two males had taken seats at the table. Curious, Hana tried extending her senses towards the two Draenei, only to feel a gentle reproach and push back.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, getting a startled frown from Raynor.

“It is all right, little one, no harm done,” Boros said and she was surprised at how much a simple smile could transform his face from formidable to kind.

“Unless you're here to tell me you _asked_ to be brought to the Nexus, no one is blaming you, Vindicator. As for transportation ... if you're in a particular hurry, I can arrange for a drop ship, though between us? If you could persuade Lady Whisperwind to change her mind about even just a stable portal connection, I'd be grateful. By the law of Dae'Uhl, I can only suggest, each city is within its rights to refuse as much Protoss help as it chooses.”

“We do not wish to unbalance the governance of this city or any other,” Boros replied with a shake of his head. “If we were a greater number, we would find a place for a city of our own. As it is ... we are petitioners, refugees once more.”

“Don't misunderstand me, Vindicator. Your people are welcome in either city and entitled to representation in the union's ruling council, same as any other sub-faction. In fact –.”

Raynor's jaw snapped shut as he suddenly stood from the table. Hana started to reach for him when the air crackled and he was gone, taken by the Nexus. She started counting the seconds, but she could see the startled and worried expressions on the faces of the two Draenei still seated with her. She might not be someone of official standing, but she was here and seeing as she knew what it was that had just happened....

“It's all right, you just got an object lesson, so to speak, in how the Nexus operates. Anyone marked by the Nexus as a viable operative - and Commander Raynor's a senior operative - is subject to taking at any time,” she said, reclaiming her tablet to see if she could hack into the Nexus for a list of active operatives. If Boros or any of his people were on the list, it would probably be helpful for him to know. Annoyingly, her first attempt was promptly blocked.

“Vindicator Boros, your presence is requested in the temple. Also, transport to Khor-emeth will be here in approximately four hours.”

“You have our thanks, Lord Executor,” the paladin said as he got up from the table. The two Draenei saluted the Protoss then left, headed for the temple. Frowning, Hana watched them, the unhurried way they walked feeling strange. She really wished she knew what was going on, but she wasn't sure it was her place to ask.

 _:You spend far too much time worrying for nothing,_ n'rithaa _.:_

“But I'm not ... it's not like I'm someone important.”

She could feel his reaction to that and winced. That wasn't....

“You know what I mean,” she mumbled, getting up to crawl into his lap.

 _:I do, yes,:_ and she could feel his amusement, the warmth of his love for her in a way she really hadn't even felt it in the past. _:I have to go help James, but stay here, someone is coming to join you shortly.:_

Hana wasn't sure what that meant, huffing a sigh as he set her back on her feet. Throwing herself into her chair again, she reached for her tablet, intending to try hacking the Nexus again, only to find it wasn't there.

“Dammit, Tass!” she grumbled in his direction, even though he was already out of sight.

 _:You have better things to do,_ n'rithaa _. Read a book.:_

“I can't, you took my tablet,” she countered with another huff. So of course the next instant a stack of books thumped onto the table. Smartass. Taking the first one, she wrinkled her nose at the English words on the page. She hated reading critical things in English, she always felt like she was missing something important.

“If you'd left me my tablet, I could be reading this in Korean,” she muttered, but she could feel Tassadar's distraction. A flicker of worry that something serious had happened to Raynor, swiftly followed by the realization that what she was getting from them had nothing to do with any sort of injury. And then she was being gently shielded out and she wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to feel about that.

“Balancing between three is always difficult.”

Hana glanced up at the intruding voice, then up again, jaw dropping open as realization sunk in of just who was joining her.

“G-great Lady Alexstrasza....”

“Hana Song, yes? I feel as though I should apologize to you, as it was my request that you stay here,” the dragon queen said. Hana couldn't stop gaping, at a complete loss for words for a long moment.

“I ... you ... you _asked_ to see _me_?” she squeaked, heat rushing into her cheeks. Alexstrasza smiled, settling into one of the other chairs at the table.

“I did, yes. We have something in common, something those who love you don't, _can't_ understand. Well, a bit more time and perhaps your Lord Tassadar could come to understand it....”

Hana frowned down at her tea, not sure she liked where this conversation was going. Leaving aside the frankly ridiculous suggestion that she, a mere human teenager, could have _anything_ in common with the queen of all dragons, it felt wrong to try to compare he experience with what Alexstrasza had suffered at the hands of the Horde.

“You think if you try hard enough you can bury and ignore it,” the dragon queen said softly, one gloved hand briefly covering hers. “But the more you try to ignore it, the more it will fester instead.”

“I'm not like you, my queen,” she mumbled. “I don't have your strength, I never have. I've locked up and ignored enough other things, I can lock this away, too.”

“Perhaps. But Hana, you don't _have_ to. You aren't alone.”

“Forgive me, my queen,” Hana said as she hurriedly pushed herself to her feet, “but I've been sitting here for a few hours now. I should really get up and walk around a bit.”

For a wonder, Alexstrasza didn't argue or otherwise try to stop her, just watched her walk away with those bright, soulful eyes.

~*~*~

“Well. That ... could have gone better....”

“I _did_ tell you she wasn't going to listen, Allie,” Chronormu chirped, taking one of the other chairs.

“So you did,” the dragon queen said with a sigh. “Some day I will remember to listen to you.”

“Oh but think how dull it would be if everyone just did what I told them all the time!” her fellow dragon countered, laughing easily. “Give it time, Allie. You've only just gotten here, you have a lot to learn still.”

“Indeed. You could start by telling me what you and I are doing here.”

“Can't,” the dragon gnome said with one of her more unrepentant grins. “But wait awhile and Tyrael will explain everything.”

“Including why our Kaldorei are building a city here?”

“Yup!” Chronormu said with a nod. A sigh and a shake of her head and Alexstrasza got up from the table.

“Am I at least allowed to fly while I wait?”

“Of course. Tyrael always knows where to find you. Just keep an eye out for the other dragons. You and I ... we're not alone~”

Curious, Alexstrasza started stretching out her magic, feeling the vibrant life in the city, the green pulse of it in the surrounding forest. No sign of dragonkin beyond herself and ... no, even Chronormu had vanished. Well, that was all right, she would just keep exploring elsewhere. To the south, perhaps? Yes, the south would be a nice direction, who knew what she might find down there, away from the far eastern mountains and the orcs she could faintly sense among them. That ... she would deal with that later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a sort of ... warning in advance? I have a lot of concurrent projects running, so expect this to only update once a month. If you're curious to see how things are going or want to know what else is in the works, check out [my Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/yuuana) and give it a follow or even a pledge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit nervous about this chapter, since what I know of Overwatch comes from disjointed second-hand sources mostly. Have opted to go with personal spirit dragon headcanon over Noodle Dragons fanon for reasons. In case it's not clear, when Genji and Zenyatta are speaking alone, they're using Japanese (hence the appearance of "Gen-chan"), but switch to whichever language Lucio uses when he comes up with tea (probably English, but maybe BrPor, it's not critical which).
> 
> Also not the least bit sorry for making Varian a dickwad because ... Varian is a dickwad (I'm an Alliance girl, honest, but Varian is totally a dickwad, fight me).

Jaina couldn't help a feeling of unease as she walked into the grand council chamber. The soaring arches and high windows always made her feel small, twilight glittering three stories above her head as she walked down the aisle to her usual desk. It didn't help that the chamber was, to her thinking, far too big for the small size of the current Council. Like every other part of Khor-emeth, this chamber was meant to be used in service of a city of hundreds of millions or more, a number too vast for her to really grasp. Hundreds of desks, most intended for Protoss Councillors, formed neat but empty tiers and Jaina couldn't help wondering why. What did the Protoss know that they weren't telling anyone else?

“Lady Proudmoore. It is good to see you again.”

“Warchief ... or are you using a different title now?” she asked, forcing herself to smile as she spoke with Thrall. To her surprise, the orc leader actually looked ... abashed? Well, despite the months since its founding, this was the first time the Protoss had insisted on a full convening of the Council, with only James Raynor being excused; this was the first time the two of them had been in this chamber at the same time, as far as she could remember. And, too, the Nexus had not exactly been kind to many of the people now in this room, herself and Thrall included. Seeing how many delegates felt as uncomfortable as she did herself ... it almost helped.

“For you, just Thrall would be fine,” the orc said, bowing his head with a hand to his chest. A strange feeling fluttered in Jaina's chest, but she chose to ignore it.

“Clan Lord!”

“Ah, forgive me, my lady, but duty calls,” Thrall said, offering her an apologetic smile before walking over to his fellow orcs. Strange. Since coming to Khor-emeth, Jaina had been startled and disturbed to learn that she had Nexus experiences of which she had no memories whatsoever, matches that others remembered fighting with her, but she could not. From what she could tell, that had not happened again since settling in the city, but now she was starting to wonder again.

“Tell me again who it is that put these damn Protoss in charge of things?”

“Shut up, Varian,” she muttered, wishing she could have left him out of this. But he had insisted on accompanying her and, to her surprise, despite his lack of an official government position, Security had not stopped him. “You aren't actually on this Council, I am, so sit down and don't speak.”

The heavy thump of a stone sphere on a metal plate at the Speaker's stand seemed to reverberate in her chest. At the second thump, the chamber fell into a hush, bodies rustling into empty seats. The third somehow felt like the dropping of a dead weight.

“This Grand Council is called to order,” and in yet another surprise, Tassadar's words came from the small speaker set on Jaina's desk rather than directly from the Protoss Executor. “I would start by thanking you all for coming so promptly and on such short notice. At this time, the chair recognizes Lord Artanis.”

Jaina sat back and listened as Artanis explained that the Nexus had recently gone back into recruitment mode, scooping up yet more members of the various allied races. That the Draenei had asked to live in Khor-emeth did not surprise her, but that Varian had submitted a joint petition to take an allied group of humans, dwarves, and gnomes to start a new city _did_. And then she saw the proposed coastal site and her surprise diminished. The fact that the proposal named Varian as city leader - and that it had been filed behind her back - told her _exactly_ what it was really about. That the jackass had the nerve to be smug as he sat beside her.... The only saving grace was Artanis's announcement that a decision would have to wait pending a review of the site and a clarification of a few points to be discussed out of session. It wasn't much, but it would at least give her a chance to voice her concerns to the Protoss.

“It has come to our attention,” Tassadar said after Artanis's reports were finished, “that there are still allied races who have not been seen in the Nexus. The arrival of Vindicator Boros and his companions at Nemai'Aran shows that the Nexus's mechanisms are not completely infallible. As such, I will be dispatching warp prisms to each city after the conclusion of this session.”

A shocked rumble of protest rolled off the walls, though there were too few people present for the sound to gain much traction in the grand space. Tassadar's stone thumped against the desk plate once and the protests grew even quieter. And still he waited for them to die completely before he spoke again.

“I am well aware that both Nemai'Aran and Drakamar have declined our technology,” Tassadar said, a calm statement of fact. “However, for the safety of all, I must insist. A warp prism, by itself, does nothing but offer a warp link back to Khor-emeth.”

“One YOU can use to move practically unlimited numbers of troops in an instant from here to wherever you have one of your damn prisms installed and what could any of us do about it? Nothing!”

Jaina didn't recognize the speaker, but she was surprised to see a human raising the objection, especially since the only humans with that kind of knowledge of Protoss technology had to come from the same universe and she had thought Raynor's people were allies of the Protoss. Unless this was a timestream thing? She seemed to remember someone telling her not all the Protoss had come from the same point in time. She had certainly seen evidence of the same in the people from her own world, so perhaps....

“What does it matter to you, a human of Khor-emeth?” Malfurion said, obviously skeptical of this argument. “Not that the Protoss need these warp prism devices to move their warriors into our cities. I witnessed with my own eyes the landing of the _Gantrithor_ and her attendants, I know their numbers. Look around this city and tell me who among us smaller factions could stand against them if they decided to act? Though for my part, I have seen Lord Tassadar's heart far too clearly to waste time on such a childish fear.”

Disgruntled mutters started again and Jaina wondered if Malfurion's words had truly been wise. He had a point, but... At the same time, she couldn't just ignore her own duty, signaling her desire to speak.

“The chair recognizes Lady Proudmoore.”

“Thank you, Lord Executor,” she said as she rose to her feet, smoothing her robes out of nervous habit, “but I would start with a question: what is the meaning of 'day-ull'?”

“Dae'Uhl,” and she made a mental note of the subtle difference in pronunciation, “means 'Great Stewardship'. It is the charge of the Firstborn to watch over and protect those below.”

“You mean the way you protected Chau Sara, Mar Sara, and Antiga Prime?!” the same voice from before said.

“Captain Horner, control your delegation or you will all be removed,” Artanis snapped.

“So much for giving everyone equal voice,” someone else muttered.

“Doesn't sound like you want equal voice to me,” Jaina said, frowning across the chamber, though she couldn't tell who had spoken. “It sounds like you want the rest of us to be afraid of the Protoss for reasons of personal bias. No one is forcing you to stay here. If you want to relocate to one of the other realms, I will be more than happy to call upon Lord Tyrael and Lady Chronormu myself to help you move!

“That said,” she continued, raising her voice over the mutters from the other side of the chamber, “I agree with Lord Stormrage. Lord Tassadar has proven himself a man of his word, if he says these warp prisms will do nothing more than offer security, then I believe him.”

“Then you're even more an idiot than you look.”

“Captain Horner!”

There was a shuffling of bodies on the far side of the chamber, a large group of humans getting up and walking out. A shuffling beside and behind her and she felt an icy dread in her stomach as Varian elbowed her aside to claim her desk for himself.

“If this is the Council's idea of giving equal voice, we want no further part of it. As King of Stormwind, I withdraw the Alliance of Azeroth. We will make our own way.”

Jaina's dread turned to panic as she glanced over to see what Malfurion and his companions would do. The archdruid carefully rose to his feet and very pointedly turned his back on Varian to face Tassadar. The Protoss Executor nodded and when Malfurion spoke, it was in Darnassian, though the speaker on her desk offered her a translation into the common Lordaeron tongue.

“The Kaldorei have respected Varian Wrynn's fortitude and leadership in the face of many troubles presented to the Alliance, even in the face of certain ... unpleasant truths. However, he has closed his mind and his ears to our counsel. As such, we must withdraw from his Alliance. Stormwind no longer speaks for the Kaldorei. We vote to remain with this union.”

“With respect, Lord Executor,” Vindicator Boros added in his own native tongue, the paladin's voice practically booming across the chamber, “though we are few, we Draenei must stand with our Kaldorei brethren in this. We, too, vote remain.”

Jaina could practically feel the fury radiating off of Varian, forcing herself to stay seated and perfectly still as he stormed off with the rest of her delegation at his heels. It shocked her to the core to see Uther Lightbringer and Genn Greymane choosing Varian over her, without even talking to her about it first. And then another little voice rose up in the back of her head, telling her that she should have expected this. After all, this wasn't the first time her leadership had been taken or otherwise overruled and ignored. Still, it ached to find herself abandoned like this. So she was quite surprised to suddenly feel an arm tucking around her shoulders.

“Chin up, luv, let 'em run,” Lena said softly, offering her an encouraging smile.

“... if anyone else wishes to withdraw, we suggest they do so now, so the rest of us can continue on with the business at hand,” Artanis said, though no one else seemed inclined to do such a thing. Jaina looked around and wondered if maybe she shouldn't leave. If Varian was taking everyone she was supposed to represent....

 _:Stay,:_ and Jaina was shocked to actually hear Tassadar's voice in her head. _:Until a full accounting is done, you are still a full member of this Council. Your opinion is still valuable.:_

“Huh, you know, your eyes really do kinda glaze over when a telepath is sending to you,” Lena said in a low whisper, squeezing Jaina's shoulders a moment before settling back in the seat next to her. That was unexpected, though she wasn't going to risk making trouble by asking the woman what she was doing.

“The chair recognizes Clan Lord Go'el 'Thrall' Frostwolf.”

“I am curious why this sudden change in policy,” Thrall rumbled from his desk. “Lord Tyrael himself assured me we were safe from incursions by either the Burning Legion or the Zerg Swarm here. Is it that you doubt this to be true or is something else at play? Always before you have respected our desires to make our own path, follow our own ways. What has changed?”

“If an injured dragon fell in the midst of your encampment, what would happen, Clan Lord?” Tassadar asked.

“We are not so few in number that we could not defend ourselves from one dragon,” Thrall growled.

“Which is, I suspect, why the red queen was deposited outside Nemai'Aran instead,” the Protoss Executor replied evenly. “The next dragon may not be so fortunate.”

Jaina didn't know nearly enough Orcish to properly understand, but she could tell both Orcs and Trolls were unsettled by this information. She herself was uneasy with the implication that an actual _Aspect_ had been ensnared by the Nexus. The Aspects were fundamental to the continued proper functioning of her world, she hesitated to even guess what damage having one torn away from Azeroth would do to her homeworld.

“Do this be why ya called us all here? Ta tell us what ya mean t'do without care for how we feel?” Vol'jin asked, a rumble of discontent following his words.

“ **I** called this meeting,” Artanis said, blue eyes flashing brightly, “because the Nexus has gone active again. Vindicator Boros and his team, Dragon Queen Alexstrasza, they are just the first. If what I read is accurate, races of which I know nothing are to be added to our number. _That_ is my concern, that ensnared peoples will simply be dropped into this realm, as Queen Alexstrasza was - injured and almost too far from the help she urgently needed. Void elves, Nightborne, Zandalari ... these names mean nothing to me. We cannot plan for what we do not know. We are asking for your help. _All_ of your help.”

“Da Zandalari be another tribe, kin to da Darkspear,” Vol'jin said, seeming calmer now, “but we not had contact with them in ... long time. We trolls not get on so good wit' each other, ya?”

“Sometimes brothers quarrel more than blood enemies,” an anonymous Protoss voice said and Jaina couldn't help a nod and smile in agreement.

“Nightborne and Void elves ... these names I do not know,” Malfurion added with a shake of his head, “though they sound as though we should know of them. I will ask our Librarian, but I do not know how much help we will be able to offer.”

“If they're from Azeroth ... Athena has all kinds of archived information from my world,” Lena added. “I can't promise it'll match, D.va's said there've been some pretty major discrepancies between lore and reality, but....”

“Thank you, Lord Stormrage, Miss Oxten. I admit, I do not know if these races will be brought here or sent elsewhere in the Nexus, but I prefer to be prepared for all potentialities.”

“You've mentioned the Life-Binder, Queen Alexstrasza ... is she well?” Thrall asked, frowning as he spoke. Tassadar's eyes flashed a moment and then one of the upper gallery doors was opening. Jaina glanced up, then up again in shock at seeing Azeroth's Dragon Queen coming down the aisle ... and headed straight for her desk. She had no idea what to do, scooting aside awkwardly to give Alexstrasza her place. The dragon queen actually looked confused a moment before shaking her head.

“I am not here to take your place, Lady Proudmoore,” Alexstrasza said with a soft smile. “That is not my purpose here.”

“Then what ... I don't understand.”

“If you are here, great queen, what of Azeroth?” Thrall asked, clearly worried.

“I assure you, Azeroth is safe,” the dragon queen said. “I wish I could say more, but the nature of the Nexus makes things ... difficult.”

“How so?” Thrall asked. It was something Jaina also wanted to know, so the disappointment burned that much more sharply when Alexstrasza shook her head again.

“Even with your deep understanding of the elements, Go'el, I could not explain it to you. Nor could I explain it to you any better, Lady Proudmoore, even with your arcane knowledge. The Nexus exists beyond what even the Firstborn here have much knowledge, it cannot be explained completely or even competently to any of you, beyond that it is. I am sorry. It is what it is and for now that means for all of you it is home. I know there are still tensions between the fragments of Alliance and Horde caught here, but it is my hope you will be able to put the past behind you and find your way to peace. The Light knows there is room enough for all.”

“I think, my lady, you are a bit late with those words,” the former Warchief said and was that ... _sadness_ in his tone? “I and my people have seen our way clear to working with Lord Tassadar's system in peace with those others caught here.”

“Dat we be up in da mountains prob'ly be a big help wit dat. Even if it do be colder'n we Darkspear be used to,” Vol'jin admitted, a low chuckle coming from the others behind him.

“If Varian is serious in his withdrawal ... Lady Alexstrasza, perhaps you can assist in their relocation? After what he has said ... he and his people would be better suited elsewhere in the Nexus, I think, as would Captain Horner and his comrades,” Tassadar said. Again, Jaina could have sworn she heard sadness in his voice. Whether it was true or not, Alexstrasza nodded her acknowledgment and that seemed the end of it, though the matter felt incomplete to Jaina. Then again, perhaps it didn't matter.

“It seems there is much research to be done. If there is no further pressing business....”

No one seemed inclined to raise an issue and Jaina couldn't decide if that was a relief or not. It wasn't like she particularly relished going back to an apartment in an emptied - or worse, _emptying_ \- human quarter, but she didn't quite know what else to do with herself, either. Maybe explore the city some more, seeing as she had no intention of following Varian ever again....

“So I was thinking,” Lena said as she hopped up onto Jaina's desk, “what with Wrynn backstabbing ya like he did ... the Tower's got plenty of open space and we'd be happy to have ya with us. Especially D.va, if she ever comes back, that is.”

“That's ... very generous....”

“Nah, it's pretty selfish, actually,” the young woman said, winking. “I'm only on this council cuz I've got the highest rank out of those of us of Overwatch here, but I don't really ... this isn't my thing,” she explained, gesturing to indicate the whole of the emptying chamber. “You, on the other hand ... you've got experience. We move you into the Tower and you could be our Councilwoman. See? Selfish.”

“But I ... I barely know any of you, how could I be your choice?” Jaina protested.

“Hey now, getting to know us is the easy part, yeah? Easier than you trying to teach me diplomacy, I'm sure,” Lena insisted.

“Well, I suppose that's true,” Jaina conceded.

“Great! And if that pompous git leaves any of your people behind, we can relocate them to the Tower, too. If they want, of course. If anyone's left.”

“If,” Jaina agreed with a sigh. She wasn't in much of a hurry to find out, fingers dancing on the arm of her chair as she tried to decide what to do from here.

“... yeah. How about ... we give the dragon lady and whoever else time to sort it all out first. We can hop a pod to the Tower, introduce you to anyone you haven't met yet, get you set up with Athena and an apartment, and then ... see where we are?”

“Hop a pod?” she asked. Lena leaned back, then laughed.

“Right, I forget, Jimmy set things up so the human quarter's in walking distance of here, you've probably never even used Protoss transit, yeah? It's pretty easy, even for a non-techie, you'll see.”

That ... didn't really explain things, but Jaina supposed she would figure it out soon enough. It was about time she started learning more about all the technology around her.

~*~*~

Genji forced his mind towards stillness as he lit, then shook out the flame on a single stick of incense. He hated Hanamura matches more than any other battleground in the Nexus, the way it twisted at his memories of that place, that time in his life. Everything about the battlefield was just that little bit wrong while trying to look right and he hated it. And yet he kept being pulled into it again and again.

“I sense a particular disquiet in you this evening, my student.”

In an instant of instinct, Genji was up with his sword at the omnic's throat. And yet Zenyatta was as unruffled as ever. There was no smile on the omnic's face and yet Genji could still almost see it there.

“Master....”

“I would prefer not to have my head parted from my body.”

“What? Oh!” Genji quickly sheathed his sword as he stepped back, another deep breath to calm his nerves. “How...?”

“I am myself uncertain. One moment we were meditating in the garden and the next, we are here. Wherever here is.”

“Master ... it's been most of a year since I was brought to the Nexus, nearly six months since the shift that put this tower here, beside this city,” Genji said, gesturing to his window and the night-bright city beyond it. “In all that time, I have been here without you.”

“And yet my memory says you and I have just spent the entire day in Gibraltar,” Zenyatta replied, as unflappable as ever.

“That's not ... right, right, the Nexus bends time, too,” Genji muttered, finally sitting down on the bed he had stopped using. His breathing shuddered in his chest, tears running down his scarred cheeks. He could only watch as Zenyatta settled on the bed beside him, one hand resting on his thigh.

“I am sorry you have been alone so long, my student.”

“It's not ... I haven't been completely alone. There's six, no seven of us from Overwatch now, though Junkrat ... it's not the same. None of them ... no one here can understand.”

“No man can understand what he is not shown, Genji,” the omnic said softly. “You always did hold back too easily. Has there been no one for you to confide in while we have been separated?”

Genji's voice caught in his throat, forcing him to settle for shaking his head instead. Lucio, Hana, Zarya, Lena ... they were all good people, but... Ana he didn't know at all and Jamison ... Jamison was Jamison. Genji was, as he had been before Nepal, completely alone.

Well, mostly alone. First as a wisp of green light, then coalescing into his more solid form, Teshimine slithered down his arm for the first time in more months than he wanted to admit. The little dragon nudged his hand, but it almost took more than he had left just to rub his head.

“Genji....”

At the horror in the monk's tone, he glanced up at the omnic before looking back down at his dragon. The little green dragon had always reminded him of blown glass figurines, translucent except for the solid silver horns. And yet as he watched, he could see the careful way Teshimine moved, as if he was in pain, and the fine spider web cracks that covered his entire body. When he had summoned his dragon in combat, he had looked and acted the same as always. It should not have been possible for him to have changed so drastically in not even an hour's time!

“Oh my Gen-chan,” the omnic murmured, sliding closer to tuck an arm around Genji's shoulders, “you must tell me everything. Starting with where I can get you some tea.”

“Th-there's a communal kitchen on the ground floor,” he stammered, “but I'm not....”

He swallowed against a sudden lump in his throat, afraid to admit he didn't want Zenyatta to go anywhere. Afraid that this wasn't real, that if he lost sight of his master for even one second, the monk would vanish as if he had never been.

“Is Athena here?”

_“I am, Operative Tekhartha Zenyatta. How may I be of assistance?”_

“Ah, Athena ... if you could have someone bring us tea? And then ... how long is a day in this place?”

_“Twenty-six hours, by standard human reckoning.”_

“Then please file Genji as on medical leave for the next sixty-five hours, by my authorization.”

 _“Overwatch Team Leader Tekhartha Zenyatta does not have necessary clearance to initiate medical holds of Nexus operatives,”_ Athena said with an oddness to her tone. _“Medical leave request forwarded to nearest authorized operative.”_

“Athena....”

“No, Master, that ... the Nexus is beyond her control. That ... I think that was the Nexus, speaking through her,” Genji said, grimacing under his mask at the knock at his door. Getting up to answer it, he was startled to see Lucio on the other side, bracing himself for either a scolding in Brazilian Portuguese or accented English.

“Hey buddy, Athena said to bring this up to you and something about you not feeling well, that you need me to check you out and sign off on – wait, Zenyatta??”

“Greetings, Lucio. Thank you for the tea and if you could approve my hold, my student is in need of my care.”

“Wow, you must've just gotten here, yeah? Athena, you're supposed to _tell us_ ... oh never mind. So, uh, what's the deal here guys?”

“Genji is not feeling well, but when I tried to have him listed as on medical leave ... well, you know the rest,” the omnic said with a slight shrug, as if it were just another Tuesday.

“The Nexus,” Genji grumbled, resenting having to explain even that much.

“Ah, right. Here, but not an operative. That's new, for us anyway. All righty, I'll get that hold put in, sixty-five hours no draws, but ya gotta come down for tomorrow's movie night or I'll have Zarya come up here and _carry_ you down, got it?”

Genji refused to say another word, instead taking the tea tray and turning his back on the deejay. He recognized the soft note of Zenyatta's disapproval, but he didn't care just then.

“If he is not healed enough, I will let you know myself, Lucio,” Zenyatta said before thanking the man again. Genji waited, tense and unhappy, for the door to close, only just barely reigning in the urge to throw the teapot across the room, to break something, anything. Anger burned through him. He wasn't an invalid!

“Gen-chan....”

_“Medical hold initiated for Assassin Operative Shimada Genji. Nexus calls suspended for sixty-five hours.”_

That was the last straw, Genji grabbed one of the cups and threw it as hard as he could against the window. Porcelain shards flew back at him, but he didn't care, his rage turning into a feral scream.

“Gen-chan.”

Zenyatta was glowing, ringed by his orbs with their faint chiming and his four astral arms, the picture of a bodhisattva at peace. For a moment, his rage burned even hotter. And then one golden arm reached out, a glowing hand cupping his cheek at the same time Zenyatta's true hands started removing the bulkier pieces of Genji's armor. The rage in him sputtered and died with the last piece, Zenyatta floating closer, pulling his head down until flesh touched metal.

“I am here, Gen-chan, you are not alone any longer,” the omnic said softly. “Tell me everything.”

“I ... I don't know where to start.”

“When in doubt, start at the beginning, my student,” his master suggested gently. Genji squeezed his eyes shut a moment, trying to remember when it was the Nexus had taken him. A shaky breath and he did his best to recount that first experience with the Nexus, finding himself in that first strange battlefield with people he did not know and then the Tower that had become something not unlike home. And through it all, Zenyatta sat beside him, holding him and just listening as he slowly poured out his head and his heart.

~*~*~

Reading the transcript from the Grand Council meeting, James Raynor felt a familiar surge of anger. It took all his self control not to break something. He had expected that sort of stunt from Wrynn, but Matt ... he had thought better of Matt Horner. Maybe that had been his first mistake.

“What happened after this?” he asked, gesturing with the data pad.

“Captain Horner gathered about a third of your people and tried to take the _Hyperion_ by force. They failed, of course,” Artanis said, taking a seat across the table from him. “If you linked....”

“No. I ... don't push, yeah? I'm not....”

“Of course,” the templar demurred. “The Khala will still be there when you are ready, we understand how hard it is for you. As for the humans ... Chronormu and Alexstrasza went through every person not of the Firstborn in the city. Those no longer wishing to be part of our union are being relocated to another part of the Nexus. Wrynn and Horner among them. The population of others in Khor-emeth is now greatly reduced.”

“... how greatly?” he asked, more than a little afraid of the answer.

“228 individuals, mostly from your Raiders, but also a handful of Lady Proudmoore's Kirin Tor, the Draenei, and the Overwatch Tower. Lady Proudmoore is already moving herself and her people into the Tower, she is taking over primary Tower representation from Miss Oxton. You keep your seat on the Council as well as your rank in the city hierarchy, since your Raiders still make up the largest portion of non-Firstborn, with a Commander Richard Cumber taking up the post of your second. He promised me he would call you....”

“Cumber ... yeah, I remember him, chief doctor, good man,” Raynor said, pinching the bridge of his nose a moment, then rubbing an eyebrow with his thumb. “Fucking Dominionists. What about Boros and his people?”

“Under your jurisdiction, though the Vindicator is allowed a seat for Grand Council meetings, of course. We still expect more arrivals from each faction, but for now I see nothing that would challenge or invalidate your position, my friend.”

Raynor snorted, fishing out his cigarettes for a much needed smoke. As much as he might want to think Artanis had the right of things, he knew better. He had lived with too much experience in petty human politics to think his position was really all that secure. Especially if the Nexus now started sending any more humans from his universe on to wherever the dragons had sent them. _Hyperion_ was all he'd had, as far as loyal troops were concerned, there was nothing left back home to pull here. He was tapped out. Only a matter of time before someone else had more and then ... and then he would have to step back and hope for the best, he supposed.

“Betrayed by my own damn mercs. Well if that don't just take the fucking cake,” he muttered around the butt of his cigarette. Something rippled through Artanis's energy as the templar reached for him, but Raynor got up before he could make contact.

“James....”

“Forget it, this way is probably for the best. This ... I wasn't actually trained for any of this,” he grumbled as he paced. Or tried to pace. He hadn't even completed a full circuit of the small dining area when Artanis stepped into his path and grabbed his shoulders.

_:James. Stop. Do you really think so little of yourself? No, don't bother answering, I can see the answer in your mind. You humans....:_

“Yeah, amazing Tass can hand–,” but his throat stopped, Artanis's eyes flaring brightly as one hand shifted, forcing skin to skin contact.

_:You of all people should know better than to diminish your triad with me, brother.:_

He couldn't speak, but neither could he stop himself from remembering what Tassadar had told him all those months ago now, about Artanis's feelings for him. Something Raynor had been just as happy to not consider any further, and yet.... And yet there it was, the affection that went beyond merely friendship. It wasn't quite the same as what he felt from Tassadar, to be sure, but neither was it very different.

_:I would never ask for what you are not already willing to give, it is not our way, surely you must know this much of us by now.:_

“Artanis....”

_:The city is safe. You are safe. Your position is without question, both on the Council and within the Khala. Not even if the whole Kingdom of Stormwind were to be transplanted onto our southern coast would another be allowed to claim your place here.:_

“That's nepotism, Artanis,” he mumbled.

_:Trust me, my friend, you are more of a leader than you think. I should know, I have seen it, years of it.:_

The reminder that Artanis came from his future made him uneasy. Especially seeing how things had developed between himself and Tassadar since coming to the Nexus.

 _:No, we never did,:_ Artanis said and Raynor silently cursed at himself for not being able to keep his thoughts under tighter control. Until he felt a neural tendril brush against the back of his neck, bringing with it wordless approbation but also comfort and understanding.

 _:The Raynor from my timestream ... he never allowed anyone else close to him. Not me, not Fenix, not Lord Tassadar, no one. Too many lies and betrayals, Kerrigan chief among them, and not enough time with me, with_ us _to recover from them. I considered him a worthy ally, but you are the better man, my friend.:_

Raynor felt his breath stop at the truths lurking between and beneath those words. Something like disquiet slipped between them, followed by a flicker of distress.

_:You mustn't –:_

“No, of course I won't,” he said, closing his eyes and rubbing his face with one hand. He was half tempted to ask to have the knowledge erased from his mind, but it was there in the higher strata of the Khala; sooner or later, he would stumble across it again, either in Tassadar or in Artanis.

_:Then let me give you something else to think about before Miss Song finds it, too.:_

“Artanis....”

The templar laughed, squeezing his shoulders a moment.

“Come. We will check on the warp prism and then I can be sure to teach you its functions before I return to Khor-emeth. I promise to send Lord Tassadar back to you as soon as circumstances allow.”

That ... yeah, he could deal with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Raynor knows what Artanis and Tassadar have already known about the truth of the Nexus. 
> 
> Camp NaNo is in full swing plus I'm going to have my boys for the last half of April, meaning I'm not confident I'm going to get a May update up for this. If you'd like to keep tabs on what I'm up to, writing wise, come check me out on [my Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/yuuana), give it a follow or maybe even a pledge!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been awhile and chapter 4 is only half written, so going to be awhile before there's more.  
> But hey, a relatively quiet chapter full of headcanons and hints.

Hana sat on the bank of the river that wandered through the middle of Nemai'Aran, her studies momentarily set aside. The installation of the Protoss warp prism on the other side of the landing pad had led to some pretty heated debates around the city as Kaldorei argued between themselves. In fact, a group of elves was having a discussion of some sort at that very moment, down river and on the opposite bank. She couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, of course, but the general mood was less than happy. The whole city felt uneasy, other than Malfurion, and while it bothered Hana that Tassadar still hadn't returned, a part of her was almost glad for it. Stupid as she thought the anger was, she was also completely certain having the Executor responsible in the city would just make matters worse.

Voices approached, but Hana ignored them as they were speaking in Darnassian. Until a shadow fell across her.

“Excuse us, Hana Song? Do you have a moment?”

“Um,” she hedged, startled at being addressed directly by an elf other than Malfurion or Tyrande.

“Elandris,” the elf said with a shallow bow, “city librarian. I'm not disturbing you, am I?”

Elandris was tall, even for an elf, and Hana had a brief flash of him hitting his head on door frames. He was lean, spare and slender rather than the broad and muscular that seemed far more common in his kin, with a long face and two long braids of dark navy blue hair. His plain black robes seemed entirely out of place, particularly with the more elaborate garb of those with him. Five men that made her feel small and uneasy, though she couldn't put her finger on exactly why.

Hana realized she hadn't actually answered his question at the same time Elandris turned to his companions, quietly saying something to them that had the four elves bowing to her and withdrawing. He then sat down beside her at a respectful distance. It was ... better, but she still didn't understand why he would have come to her in the first place.

“If it's not too much of an imposition, I thought perhaps we could share knowledge, you and I,” Elandris said with a gentle smile.

“I ... I'm not sure how much of that I have,” she said with a shake of her head. “Even among my own people I'm still little better than just a kid.”

“I think you underestimate yourself,” the librarian said, still smiling at her. “You have knowledge of the Protoss, do you not?”

“Well ... some, yeah,” she admitted, suddenly worried that this conversation was about to take a turn for the worse and yet not sure what she could do about it.

“Ah, please, be at ease, Miss Song,” he said, fingertips only just barely brushing against her sleeve a moment. “Despite the mood of the city of late, we Kaldorei do still, in general, support and trust Lord Tassadar. Still, if you could perhaps better explain these warp prisms?”

“I'm not sure that I can,” she sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. “I don't actually understand how they function, just a general idea of what they do and how to use them effectively in certain combat scenarios.”

“That is still more understanding of them than I have,” Elandris countered. “Lord Tassadar said they were not weapons, yet you just mentioned using them in combat.”

Hana floundered, struggling to think of anything the Kaldorei scholar would recognize as having the same sort of function, something that might be deployed in combat without actually having any offensive ability. It wasn't really working, she couldn't think of a single thing in the whole of Azerothian lore that could compare. Until she realized she was making this far harder on herself than was really necessary.

“A human knight may ride a horse into battle or a mage might fly overhead on a spelled carpet, but the carpet itself is not a weapon. The warp prisms are sort of like that. They can transport people almost instantaneously between two connected prisms. If the prism is open, it can also offer stable power to nearby Protoss structures, at least temporarily. Not enough to power a settlement, but enough to get a toe-hold for a forward base of operations.”

“A machine and yet unlike anything I've ever seen.”

“The Protoss civilization is easily hundreds of thousands of years old,” Hana said, unable to help a small smile. “They've had a lot of time to advance their technology far beyond what even the maddest of mad gnomes have dared dream of.”

Elandris actually laughed at that. “It sounds more like the magic of the Kirin Tor and their ilk than the mad science of Dun Morogh's gnomes.”

“There is a saying among my people, that a sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic to those below,” she said, nodding. “But if you're worried ... a single warp prism isn't any more dangerous than a single stable mage portal.”

“If I understand you correctly, I dare say considerably _less_ dangerous, since it doesn't involve any arcane energy to make it like a beacon to the Burning Legion.”

“Not sure the Legion is really a threat here,” Hana said, and yet even as the words came out of her mouth, she couldn't help wondering how much truth there was in them. Gul'dan and Arthas certainly didn't show any hint of lacking power and according to lore, both were ultimately empowered by the Burning Legion. And then there was Diablo and his minions, but she wasn't at all sure how or even if those two factions might be connected.

“Hmm, yes. It is not that we distrust Lord Tyrael's word, per se, but our distrust was a hard-learned lesson. Where there is even just a crack....”

“If Tyrael says we are safe, if _Auriel_ says we are safe, then I must believe it is so,” Hana said after a beat. Elandris seemed to consider this a moment, then bowed in acquiescence.

“You know more of these angels than we. We have no such beings in Azeroth.”

“Oh I understand angels about as well as I understand the Naaru, which is to say almost not at all, but ... after everything I've seen them do, after everything I've experienced ... I trust them.”

“Fair enough. And thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. Speaking of knowledge, Lord Tassadar sent an archivist along with that warp prism of his, you should have access to our whole library whenever Mistress Laesis is finished, that should make things easier? She mentioned a ... language issue with the books copied for James Raynor?”

“I don't know if it's a quirk of the Nexus or if the common Lordaeron tongue is close enough to spoken English to be no issue, but I hate trying to read texts in English, I always feel like I'm missing things. A Protoss Archivist ... I'm guessing she's digitizing your library? Um, making it so it's available through one of these?” she asked, holding up her tablet.

“Yes,” Elandris said with a nod, “as well as teaching me how to use such a device myself.”

“She's probably adding everything to the Khala's archives, then, meaning I'll be able to access a translation direct from Darnassian to Korean, instead of a translation chain. Less chance of losing nuances that way.”

“More languages? It seems this archive will have much for me to learn.”

“All the gathered knowledge of the Khala, as archived by _Gantrithor_ and the _Spear of Adun_ , from what I understand, if they let you access it all,” Hana said with a small smile. “Perhaps more than even you could read.”

“Sounds like a challenge,” the slender elf replied with a small smile of his own. “I look forward to it. And thank you again for your time, Miss Song.”

A polite bow and he turned back towards the temple. As Hana watched him walk away, she wondered at his ready acceptance of the Protoss. The lore she remembered had always painted the Kaldorei as isolationists, keeping themselves largely apart from the other races, at least until the great devastation of the Cataclysm. Maybe the lore was wrong? Or maybe Elandris was not like his brethren in more ways than one. Time would tell, she supposed.

~*~*~

At the soft chiming from her office door, Jaina set down her pen, needing a moment to remember which button would open the door for her guest. While she hadn't been expecting anyone in particular, the automaton in what appeared to be some sort of monk's robe was beyond what even she had experienced in the past, even in this place.

“Can I ... help you?” she asked, curious to see that her guest floated rather than walking into her office, even though its construction was clearly bipedal.

“Tekhartha Zenyatta, previously of Overwatch,” it said with a bow. “I thought it was time I introduced myself, if it's not a bother to you, Lady Proudmoore.”

“Right,” Jaina said, the pieces clicking together in her head. “You're the new arrival Lucio mentioned the other day. A healer, yes?”

“Healer, teacher, diplomat, mediator, team leader ... I have worn many hats, as they say,” he replied, settling into a chair opposite her.

“How is Mister Shimada?”

“Better, though still healing. The past year has been difficult for him, which is why I came to you,” her guest said with a gracious nod.

“I'm afraid I don't understand.”

“Genji was wounded deeply long before he came here, but something, maybe several somethings, here in the Nexus has made his condition worsen and fester. But his own perspective on these matters is quite limited and when I sought Athena's help, she sent me to you.”

“I don't suppose she said why?” Jaina asked, absently tapping her nails against the top of her desk.

“She said you were among the first brought here, that only the Protoss, the dragons, and the angels understood the Nexus better. If I am to help him, I need to better understand what he has experienced here. But if you think I should approach another....”

“Forgive my bluntness, Mister Zenyatta, and please understand my words come from a _very_ limited understanding of anything more complex than simple clockworks, but as a machine can't you ... interface with Athena and just download her knowledge for yourself?”

“Yes and yet no,” the automaton – _omnic_ , a voice in her head corrected – replied and though nothing about his face had physically changed, she could almost swear he was smiling somehow. “Athena's resources are all raw data, statistics and a handful of video overviews of the last dozen matches that have yet to be archived or purged. But it's not the same. And only covers certain battlegrounds.”

Jaina watched as Zenyatta plucked one of the spheres from the ring of them he wore around his neck. As he spoke, it started to glow and hum softly.

“Athena can describe for me every physical detail of this orb. Dimensions, weight, density. If I send it across the room, she can note velocity and vector. By the color of the light and the tone it's emitting, she can extrapolate how I am using it, because she knows my abilities. But she has no way to describe the warmth you now feel because of the healing aura I am projecting through it. It is the same with the Nexus. Athena is brilliant, but she is limited in a way you and I are not.”

The orb spun in his hand a moment, then went dark, the warmth of the healing effect disappearing as quickly as one turning out a light.

“I think I understand, though I'm still uncertain how I can help.”

“What do matches _feel_ like? What is the atmosphere in Braxis, in the Raven Lord's domain, in Hanamura? What does it feel like to die and yet not be dead? To face creatures you were certain could never exist? To be allied with enemies one match, then pitted against dear friends the next?”

“... I think I'm going to need a pot of tea to get through this. And perhaps a sandwich or two. Walk with me? I think the garden would be the better place for this conversation, if you have a couple hours to spare.”

“I would not have come if I did not,” he replied with another shallow bow. A little nod and Jaina turned to her terminal just long enough to set herself as out of the office until further notice. This ... was going to be interesting.

~*~*~

Genji stared up at the cloudless sky without really seeing it, his dragon curled up asleep on his chest. He was on his third day of his extended medical leave and though he felt fine, Teshimine's condition made it plain that he was not nearly as healthy as he wanted everyone else to think. Worse, the little dragon was adamantly refusing to discorporate again for more than a few moments here and there, meaning it was impossible for him to hide it.

_:I will do whatever it takes to see you are made whole again, my love,:_ his dragon sent, a low purr rumbling through his chest. It wasn't like he didn't appreciate the sentiment, exactly, but he loathed having his weaknesses on public display. Even if Zenyatta and Kharazim seemed to be the only people at the Tower who truly understood what Teshimine's condition meant.

“When she told me there were other dragons here, I admit, this is not what I had expected.”

Genji turned his head towards the intruder, frowning behind his mask at the strange redheaded woman approaching from around the building. The Tower had gained a number of new resident recently, he had no idea if she was one of them or if she had come from elsewhere. With the overly elaborate headdress she was wearing, she was clearly not from his homeworld, even if her sunflower-patterned sundress looked rather like something from Angela's closet. The headdress reminded him somewhat of Li-Ming's headdress, but bigger, more elaborate. And with horns not unlike an ox, only more of them.

“My name is Alexstrasza, Queen of the Dragonflights of Azeroth,” the woman said, tucking the skirt of her dress around her legs as she sat down beside him.

“Queen ... of dragons....”

“Yes. I could prove it to you, if you like? Although I don't have your friend's knack for shrinking.”

“Guardian,” he grumbled, turning his head back towards the pale blue sky.

“Guardian, friend. Or are you suggesting he can't be both?”

“It is ... beneath the dignity of the Shimada clan to befriend our spirit guardians,” he said, hating the echo of his father's voice in those words.

“Your father's an idiot.”

Genji's head snapped back around to Alexstrasza, but the woman was watching the sky instead of him.

“If we were in Japan...,” he growled.

“But we aren't. Besides, you agree with me.”

Another wordless growl and Genji turned his attention back to the sky. Or tried, at any rate. Teshimine chose that moment to get up, slowly stretching and yawning before slithering down to roll in the grass a few times. Another arching stretch and then the small dragon made his way over to Alexstrasza, Genji sitting up to watch him.

_:She speaks truth, she is a dragon. A far different breed, but still a dragon.:_

Genji didn't know what to do with that information, watching his guardian pull himself back up into his lap not unlike an elderly cat. His dragon looked better than he had that first night with Zenyatta, but not by much.

“He's old, but that's not why...,” she started before she seemed to change her mind with a shake of her head, the ornaments on her horns tinkling softly.

“Ancient,” Genji said, lightly running a finger along his flank, “but no, that's not why. When we are in battle, he is only himself, but like this....”

Genji pressed his lips together, not wanting to talk about this, especially with someone he didn't even know. The Shimada dragons were sacred legends, a secret in a modern world that had largely rejected anything mystical, magical. These last few days were the first time Teshimine had allowed himself to be seen, outside combat, by someone outside of the clan, other than Zenyatta. Even with it having been Teshimine's choice, it still felt strange, even vaguely wrong. He could almost hear his brother's disapproval, even though there was no way his brother could know anything about it. Or ever would.

Familiar anger, old and bitter, burned through him as he thought about his brother again. Even here, completely removed from his brother's influence, he couldn't stop thinking about him, hearing his disapproval. It wasn't fair ... but then again, when was the last time his life had been fair? Wasn't his every moment of continued existence proof enough that his life wasn't fair?

_:Tch. Too hard on yourself, as always, my heart,:_ Teshimine scolded, nuzzling his thigh even though they both knew he could only half feel it. _:Your anger with your brother is misplaced. It does more harm than good.:_

“He tried to kill me! _Would_ have killed me if not for you!” Genji growled.

“Who tried to kill you?”

Genji flinched in spite of himself, having forgotten Alexstrasza was still sitting beside them.

“No one who matters anymore,” he muttered, earning a little snort from his dragon.

“Holding on to anger is to drink poison and expect the other person to die. Good afternoon, your Majesty.”

Kharazim. Genji couldn't help scowling behind his mask, though the monk wouldn't see it. Alexstrasza's company had been unwelcome enough, he hadn't wanted more. Clearly he had picked the wrong place for cloud gazing. What next, Lucio coming to check up on him?

“He tried to kill me,” he muttered darkly. “I think I'm allowed to be angry about that.”

“Tried and yet failed,” the monk replied calmly.

“Only because Teshimine refused to let me die!” Genji snapped back, suddenly on his feet, his sword hilt gripped tightly in his hand. He should have died then. Or any of a dozen times since. And then he had been brought here, where death was little better than a joke. It was wrong, all of it was wrong.

“Life is such a precious gift,” the monk said, a coldness touching each word. “You dishonor your gods to treat it so casually.”

“I _have_ no gods,” Genji spat, turning on his heel and stalking back towards the Tower. Better to be cooped up alone in his quarters than to have to spend another moment listening to such trash.

~*~*~

“There is much anger in him even still.”

It was human affectation of the lowest sort, and yet Zenyatta could no more have stopped himself from sighing then than he could have stopped the sun from rising in the morning.

“Genji is young, full of passions. He loved his brother with almost hero-worship intensity. Being in the Nexus, plucked from our world when he was ... it's made things worse. And then there is the nature of the Nexus itself....”

“His brother?”

“Eh? Ah, forgive me, I thought ... his greatest anger is always tied to his brother, but it was foolish of me to think he would have explained any of that,” Zenyatta said, bowing his head in apology.

“Are you saying it was his own blood who nearly killed him?!” the other monk asked, obviously disquieted by his own words.

“At the direction of his own father, no less, though Genji is not aware of that part, I don't think.”

“How could a man's own b–,” Kharazim started, cutting himself off with a shake of his head. “I should not press, it is not my concern.”

“The Shimada clan bears a heavy curse, doomed to play out the same story again and again,” Zenyatta said softly, offering the other monk a cup of tea.

_“Operative Tekhartha Zenyatta, would you be kind enough to wait five minutes before recounting the tale of the dragon brothers? I promised Mater Chen I would notify him when someone besides Operative Shimada was to share the story.”_

“Who is Master Chen?” he asked, his question directed equally at both Athena and Kharazim.

“A storyteller of Azeroth,” Kharazim replied with the smallest of smiles. “I would not spoil your first impression of him by saying any more than that.”

How curious. Only a few days, but they had been enough for Zenyatta to feel he had enough of a sense of who Kharazim was as a person to be wary of him being cagey like this. Still, a story was better when shared with an appreciative audience. Zenyatta didn't mind waiting.

“Did I miss it?”

“Miss what?” Zenyatta asked, surprised to see Lena suddenly bouncing in front of him.

“Story time!”

“No, not yet,” he said with a small nod. “We are waiting on a Master Chen.”

“Brilliant. Fantastic. Make some popcorn and cookies. And call the dragon lady! I'll be right back!”

The way Lena blinked away, Zenyatta hoped she wasn't messing about too much with time.

“By 'dragon lady', I assume she means Queen Alexstrasza. Athena, would you call her as well?”

_“Already done. She will arrive with Master Chen. The kitchen replicator is programmed with a variety of suitable storytelling snacks.”_

For a moment, Zenyatta feared Genji was not going to like this. The story itself was not a secret, only its connection to the Shimada clan. Although now that the whole Tower knew Teshimine was more than just a special combat effect, maybe....

“...Zen??”

Zenyatta turned away from the plate of cookies he had been arranging to see Lena hugging Hana and rocking her slightly, as if she had just blinked them both in from somewhere. Hana's hands came up over her mouth for a moment. When Lena let go of her, the younger woman suddenly rushed across the room to latch onto Zenyatta in a surprisingly tight hug.

“Hana....”

“He's needed you for so long, he wouldn't talk to me, it was like he didn't even know us or something. I don't know, I kept praying something would give, but you kept not being here and then....”

Her half-choked babble cut off abruptly and he was even more disconcerted to sense that she was crying. He could _feel_ the imbalance in his young friend, hugging her carefully and activating his Soothing orb.

“Welcome home, Lady Song.”

“What?” three voices, none his, asked at once, and Kharazim actually looked slightly embarrassed to so suddenly be the center of everyone's attention.

“Is that not the correct title for one raised to noble peerage?” the monk asked.

“We ... we don't have a peerage ... do we?” Hana asked, casting uncertain glances around the room.

“Well, I guess we sorta do,” Lena said, plopping herself down on the couch with a thoughtful hum. “Between the knights of the Hand of Argus and the dragon queen and whatever Lady Jaina's actual title is, but....”

“Yeah, but the Protoss system doesn't really ... it's not like peerage was back home,” Lucio said, sitting down next to her. “Right?”

Though it wasn't necessary, Zenyatta still found himself tilting his head slightly as he studied the young woman still half hiding against him. There was something more there, a lot more, but he would have to ascend to read it and he rather suspected now was not the best time for that. Later, when he could be alone with her perhaps. Just the two of them, he might even get her to talk about it voluntarily.

“Wait, wait,” Lucio said, frowning at Kharazim again. “Why would you think D.va's a peer now?”

Kharazim started to say something, then stopped, his gaze shifting between the two young humans before at last offering Hana an apologetic bow.

“Forgiveness, I misread the situation,” the monk said softly. Lucio looked ready to ask more questions when the door burst open ahead of a giant bear of a man. No, a giant bear who carried himself and dressed like a man, a small keg tucked under his arm.

“My friends! Athena said a new teller of the dragon brothers story had arrived. I bring my best ale for the tale!”

Alexstrasza stood at the bear's side, smiling serenely, as if this was quite normal. Well, they were both of Azeroth, so perhaps for her it was.

“Master Chen,” the dragon queen said, drawing her companion's attention, “allow me to introduce Master Tekhartha Zenyatta, Genji's teacher. Master Zenyatta, Chen Stormstout, lorekeeper and brewmaster.”

There was a penetrating intellect behind the bear's jovial exterior, Zenyatta could sense it in the way he was being studied so intensely.

“A machine?” the bear-man asked.

“An omnic,” Alexstrasza correctly gently. “A form of life unlike any you have met in the Nexus previously.”

“Ah, you would know,” the bear said with a bright laugh. “I look forward to hearing you tell this tale, Master ... forgive me, is it Master Tekhartha or Master Zenyatta?”

“Ah, neither, to be honest. Though I am a teacher, I am hardly a master of the Shambali way. I am but a simple monk, nothing more.”

“That,” Chen Stormstout said, that intelligence sparkling in his eyes, “I don't believe for one moment. I have met your student. It would take an extraordinary monk indeed for that one to call another master.”

Zenyatta was not used to feeling embarrassed, but there it was. He needed a moment to center himself, switching off his orb at the same time.

“Well, if everyone is here now, perhaps we can get settled?” he suggested, moving to the floor pillow he had selected for himself. A few moments of shuffling and then his audience was ready. He simulated a breath for himself, then activated the projection of the artwork he had found that, in his opinion, best illustrated the story he was about to tell.

“Once, long ago, in the sacred land known as Nihon, two powerful dragons ruled over earth and sky....”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For someone who cannot play Overwatch, I sure have a lot of Overwatch muses. >_> Includes more of my personal headcanons on the Shimada dragons and hints into how my version of the Nexus works.

Even when the story was finished, Hana was reluctant to move. Nemai'Aran was indeed peaceful, restful, but she had missed her friends, too. She knew why Tyrande and Rosa wanted her to spend her medical leave in the Kaldorei city, but now that she was back in the Tower, she really didn't want to leave. As strange as it seemed, this place had become home for her.

_:So stay.:_

Hana jerked upright at that contact, anxiously looking around the lounge, but there was no sign of either Tassadar or Raynor. 

“Hey girl, you okay?” Lucio asked. “You're awfully jumpy.”

“I ... yeah, I'm fine, just thought...,” she trailed off with a shake of her head.

_:Stay at the Tower as long as you like,_ n'rithaa _. If you think you can heal more effectively there, I will handle Lady Whisperwind.:_

She really needed Tassadar to teach her how to use her telepathy, she had no idea what he was getting from her just then. Or how to tell him she did indeed want to stay.

“I know that look,” Lena said, grinning impishly. “Does that mean I need to take you back now?”

“Huh? N-no, um, I think I'm allowed to just stay, actually,” she said, hating the uncertainty in her voice.

“All right, well I –.”

Hana's eyes went wide as the room was suddenly emptied with a series of low pops. Panic threatened at the back of her throat, the Nexus had taken everyone except Zenyatta, the omnic looking startled and ... confused?

“The Nexus, I take it?” he asked.

“Yes, but ... it's not usually like that,” she said, shivering a little. “It won't be long, from our perspective, but....”

“But time is fluid in the Nexus, yes, Lady Jaina explained,” the omnic finished for her, floating over to her side. “Come walk with me? I sense you and I have much to discuss and there's a corner of the gardens that would be ideally suited, I think, to offer us the best privacy.”

“It feels wrong to call it a 'walk' when you aren't actually walking, Zen,” she said, smiling as she got up from the couch, snagging the afghan off the back of the couch to wrap around her shoulders. The weather was always pleasant thanks to the Protoss weather grid, but Khor-emeth still went through a regular temperate seasonal progression that meant it could be a bit crisp outside, even in full sun.

“Would it make you feel better if I did?” the omnic asked after a moment.

“I guess it doesn't really matter,” she said after a long moment, stepping outside with him then pausing to just stare up at the perfectly blue sky. Winter was coming, she thought, though it could sometimes be hard to tell, especially since the city hadn't actually been here for a full cycle of seasons yet.

“I've really missed you, Zen,” Hana said with a soft sigh, finally letting him draw her towards the garden.

“Has it been a year for you as well?”

“At least, maybe longer. I don't know, time really gets fuzzy here. It's hard to keep track when you can spend two or three _days_ in some arenas, then come back and find out you were gone for less than a minute.”

“Were you taken from Gibraltar or elsewhere?”

“Mm, two weeks before my twentieth birthday. I was really pissed off about that at first cuz it was just me, Lucio, Genji, and Trace at first and Genji was acting like he didn't really know me and Trace was having trouble adapting to the way the Nexus was affecting her thing,” she said with a vague gesture at her chest and a low huff. “It took me _months_ to figure out Luc was, still is the only one lifted from the same time point. Unless you...?”

“Ten days later, by that reference,” Zenyatta said with a slight nod. “Genji was taken from about eight months after we first left Nepal, from what I can tell.”

“Oh wow, then he really _doesn't_ know any of us, or didn't anyway. Shit,” Hana sighed, happy to sit down on the bench Zenyatta indicated. “How bad is he, really?”

“Bad enough that I've had him put on extended medical leave, too,” the monk said, hovering beside her. Hana watched Zenyatta's hands weave a shape in the air that was part mudra, part something else. Before her disbelieving eyes, she watched as green light formed itself into a small dragon that wound itself around the omnic's hands a moment before slithering down into his lap with a soft chirp.

“Hana, allow me to introduce Genji's spirit guardian, the dragon lord Teshimine.”

“How in the world...?”

“Very carefully,” Zenyatta replied, chuckling and stroking the little dragon's back. He was beautiful, a translucent glass-like green just like the lights of Genji's armor, with a silvery ruff, claws, and horns. And dozens of fine cracks spider-webbing across his body.

“He's hurt?”

“Yes, because Genji's soul is wounded. It is something I think you, too, could understand.”

Hana's eyes dropped down to the little dragon, surprised to see him studying her intently.

_:I know he is not the same as the one you knew, but the master is right, you would be good for him. Please help us? And perhaps, in the helping, we can help you, too.:_

Teshimine's voice felt so different from Tassadar's, cool and smooth and _ancient_ beyond words, yet only words. He was holding back with her, she was sure of it, and for that she was actually quietly grateful.

_:Yes, I am. You have more channels open than others, I am not used to speaking to one who even knows those other channels exist.:_

“I ... the Protoss are telepaths, an entire race sharing their lives through the telepathic union of the Khala,” Hana said softly. “I've been joined to the Khala, too, but I don't really ... Elune opened my mind, but I don't know how to _do_ anything. I'm not even sure I'm rated above latent.”

She could feel him, Teshimine was a silver flickering that darted here and there through her thoughts, faster than she could ever hope to follow. And then she felt him being gently pushed out. The little dragon sat back on his haunches, blinking up at her, but she was just as startled as he. Until she twisted around to see Tassadar coming up behind her. He looked so grand and imposing, clad in the formal attire of the Lord Executor, for a moment it took her breath away.

“Master Zenyatta, welcome to Khor-emeth.”

“I do wish people would stop giving me that title,” the omnic said, shaking his head. “I am not a master, merely a humble monk.”

“Not in the eyes of my bondmate,” Tassadar replied, one hand resting briefly against Hana's back, “but if it disturbs you that much.... But I must insist telepaths in the city abide by our code of ethics.”

Teshimine chirped and it had never occurred to Hana that a dragon _could_ look embarrassed until that moment, the little dragon shrinking in on himself.

“I'm not ... oh, Teshimine. He meant no harm, he's not used to such things,” Zenyatta said, offering an apologetic bow. “Up to now, his interactions have been entirely with other dragons and his bonded. Well, and me, but even that has been entirely nonverbal until I was brought here. No offense was intended.”

Another chirp and the little dragon simply vanished. Hana hoped they hadn't upset him too much.

She felt, rather than heard, Tassadar asking if she was ready to go home and at first the entire question confused her. Officially, she was still a resident of the Tower and she really wasn't sure why he wasn't just asking aloud. And then she remembered her own reluctance to have others know the true nature of her relationship with Tassadar. She still wasn't sure how she felt about it, but Zenyatta ... he was different, he always had been. Even after a year apart, she couldn't imagine _not_ being completely honest with him.

“... Master Kharazim was right, you have been raised to peerage,” Zenyatta said softly and Hana turned to gape at him.

“Whatever the Protoss equivalent, you are wed to a Lord, 'Lady Song' is appropriate ... or is there another surname you intend to use now?”

“I haven't married anyone!” Hana protested, her cheeks hot. “And I'm certainly not ... Zen!”

“If I understand your meaning correctly, we Firstborn have neither a peerage nor surnames. The title of Lord Executor is earned by achievement and merit, not right of birth. If I were to die tomorrow, the title and rank would pass to Artanis, not my son,” Tassadar explained.

“ _Can_ any of us actually die here?” Hana asked, suddenly nervous again. “Or would it be like the arenas?”

“Thus far, there has not been occasion to find out. Hopefully it will stay that way.”

Hana couldn't help wondering if it really would. So far, the Nexus had divided mortal enemies from mortal enemies well enough, at least when they weren't in arenas, but would it always? And as their cities here grew, surely crime, both petty and violent, would seep into them as well. Sooner or later, either in the Human Quarter or in Drakamar, someone would snap. It was inevitable, right?

_:You worry too much about pointless things,_ n'rithaa _. Let the future tend to itself, such things are not for you to worry over.:_

“Hana,” Zenyatta said, his hand cool against her arm, “go home, rest with him. Genji needs me tonight, but perhaps tomorrow I or we can come visit? I have yet to actually see this grand city that is now home. Perhaps you can be my guide?”

“I don't know about that, but I can try?” Hana replied with a thin smile. She didn't really know the city all that well herself, but it would be nice to discover it together with friends. Could be good for all of them, in fact.

~*~*~

Alexstrasza closed her eyes and reached out with her senses, trying to find the little dragon again. She had so many questions and hearing Zenyatta's story of the dragon brothers had only made her that much more curious. Genji's guardian friend was unlike any dragon she had ever met and yet she did not even know his name.

_:Yes, you are unlike anyone we have ever known either.:_

The red queen couldn't help but smile at the contact, both tentative and self-assured. She had not “spoken” this way to another in so very long....

_:Come up to the roof. Before the sun sets entirely.:_

Another little chuckle as she realized what he was suggesting. A bit of sun did indeed sound like a good idea to her. Still, she forced herself not to rush or do anything that might rouse suspicion as she made her way up to the Tower's roof. At first, all she could see was an empty expanse. And then before her eyes a green mist coalesced into a dragon of a length with herself in her true form, though with far less bulk. And no wings, though he hung in the air like the cloud serpents of Pandaria. The unspoken invitation was obvious and she welcomed the shift, stretching out her own wings with a sigh of relief.

_:You are lonely.:_

How could she even _begin_ to answer that? The simple answer, of course, was yes. But the truth was so much more complicated than that. She was Queen of All Dragons, quite alone now that the last of her mates was dead. To whom was she to turn? Her children looked to her for strength, her fellow Aspects for leadership, and the fragile mortals of her world.... Isolation was, it seemed, the price she was forced to pay for the good of everyone. And yet how was she to explain all of that to someone who knew nothing of her world? Was there any way this creature could even begin to understand?

_:Not a creature, a kami,:_ the green dragon sent, stretching out alongside her not unlike a dog. She mentally pulled back from the unintended comparison, afraid of offending him, but already she could hear him laughing in her mind.

“Sorry, I'm not used to being around a stranger who can ready my thoughts.”

_:Only the surface, in keeping with Protoss law,:_ he said, rolling over to lean against her shoulder. _:But where are my manners? I am Teshimine, celestial dragon of Nihon and bonded guardian of Shimada Genji, youngest dragon of Hanamura.:_

Alexstrasza went still at those words. Nihon, the land mentioned in Zenyatta's story. The way the omnic had told it, she had thought it nothing more than a myth, a fabrication of some storyteller's fancy, not a real place. And if it was a real place, did that make it a real time with real people and real dragons? And yet her observations of the Overwatch people had led her to believe their world was without such things. Then again, here was a real, live dragon from that same world.

_:For most of the last two centuries, our descendants, even the clans like the Shimada, have been increasingly pushed to view the stories, the lore of the kami and youkai, as just that: works of fiction. Especially when faced with an Occidental world that gave up, killed its magic long ago.:_

“Is your world truly a world without magic? What a terrible place it must be.”

_:Where there is life, there will always be magic, yes?:_

She couldn't help a soft chuckle at that, shifting to rest her head against his in camaraderie, silently sharing in his memories of his homeland. A land that looked so very different even from the Hanamura arena here in the Nexus, buzzing with life and science and a level of technology that was beyond her immediate experience.

“Yes, I am lonely,” she admitted after a long moment. “When Chromie told me of this place, of course I had to see it for myself. I am not sure what I was expecting, but ... not this.”

_:You came here of your own choice.:_

“As did she, as did the angels. Was it not the same for the rest?”

_:No. Mortals and infernals cannot choose. The Nexus reaches into the linked realms and chooses for itself who it wants. So long as Genji is here, so, too, must I be here. And I assume you know why the others cannot simply be broken free and sent back to their own worlds and times.:_

“Yes, Tyrael explained that part, although – and forgive my impertinence in asking – but how is it you...?”

_:The power of the kami is as great as yours, Dragon Queen, perhaps more. I manage. After all, time is infinite.:_

There was such a sadness in his mental touch that she wasn't able to stop herself from seeking out more. And instantly regretted it.

“... such a thing to keep to yourself!”

_:There has been no one to tell,:_ he said, and though he tried to shrug it off, she had felt the hurt of it for herself. Using her wing to keep him close, she fell into silent communion with Teshimine, sharing his grief in hopes of making it less. It wasn't much, but it was all she could do.

~*~*~

The best part of being back in Khor-emeth was being able to wear her own clothes again. The elvish tunics had been well made and she had appreciated the tailor who had made adjustments for her smaller stature, but it wasn't the same. Better than nothing, sure, but it hadn't felt like herself.

“I'm sure this is going to get me in trouble,” Raynor said, faking a frown, “but I'm not sure I like the idea of you going out dressed like that....”

“What's wrong with it?” she countered, frowning down at her outfit. Okay, the shorts were a bit short, but she had leggings on underneath, so it wasn't _that_ bad.

“Nothing, just.... Nothing. Nothing's wrong with it, babygirl,” Raynor said, shaking his head a little before going over to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Sticking to the Human Quarter or think you might venture further than that?”

“I think Zen would be fascinated by the Protoss districts, but this is my first time exploring any of the city at all. And Genji ... from what Zen says, I think he'd feel overwhelmed, surrounded by so many Protoss, so we're just gonna stick to the Human Quarter, yeah.”

“All right, well, I should get back to the office, but if you need anything, just let me or Tass know, okay?”

Hana hummed and nodded before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. She then grabbed her headphones and tablet, feeling that much better for having her music again. She was half tempted to summon her MEKA, but it wasn't really that far to the transit terminal and the Protoss weather grid meant it was a lovely day for a walk.

“See, told ya she'd be waiting,” Lucio said, grinning. Hana's smile froze, her eyes flicking between Zenyatta and her deejay friend. What was this? Had they planned something without her?

“Oh come on, what kind of look is that?” Lucio scolded before practically enveloping her in a hug. “Don't look so worried,” he continued in a low undertone meant only for her. “I only rode along cuz I needed to come into the city. But maybe we can meet up for dinner later? Or not, it's fine, either way, I swear.”

“I'll, uh, let you know how it goes?” she said, nervous but returning his hug. She didn't know if Lucio was treating her the same as always because he didn't know what had happened to her or if it was just his nature. She had been gone from the Tower for weeks, surely they had to have been told _something_ to explain it, but.....

“Have fun!” Lucio said, giving them a parting wave before he was chasing down one of the local buses. When she turned back to Zenyatta, she failed to stop a sigh at seeing Genji in his full combat armor. Now that she knew, it was another reminder that this wasn't yet _her_ Genji, that this person might not ever _become_ her Genji.

“So ... to be honest, I really don't know the city very well, we've only been here a few months, I think? And I was happy spending my free time at the Tower before...”

“Are you saying this whole city was built in just a few months?”

“The core structures were down in a couple hours, Artanis declared the city complete in about ... eight days?”

“Eight _days_?” and even Genji managed to look shocked, even with his full mask.

“The Protoss are a highly evolved technological race, their abilities really do border on the magical sometimes,” Hana said as she walked towards the bus line. “Khor-emeth is a city of only thirty-four thousand Protoss, give or take a couple hundred –.”

“Only,” Genji interrupted with a little huff. Hana smiled and forced herself not to get too defensive.

“Before the Fall, Aiur, their homeworld, had a population in the hundreds of billions,” she said, pulling out her tablet to double-check she was reading the schedule board right. “Even with only so few, the overall design of the city is the same as major cities of Aiur, so it tends to feel a bit empty all over. And recently, there was a ... an incident between the Council and one of the subfactions that cut the Human Quarter population almost in half.”

“What happened, do you know?” Zenyatta asked, following her example in boarding an empty automated bus.

“Short answer? Varian Wrynn is a complete douche who found and tapped into anti-Protoss sentiment among Raynor's people and staged a walk-out of a Grand Council meeting. Varian and Matt Horner took half the Human Quarter with them, don't know where, don't really care. But I'm ... not really sure what we're going to find. Jim's people are all spacers, mercs, it was Varian's people who were the shop owners, the craftsmen and artisans.”

“Well then, I suppose we will just have to explore what remains together,” Zenyatta said cheerfully. Hana couldn't help a smile at that. Yes, they would.

“Where do you want to start?”

~*~*~

Genji trailed behind his master and the girl, D.va, watching everything and constantly alert for any danger. He kept a running catalog of potential sniper spots, escape routes, and ambush points, though nothing ever materialized. Still, the vigilance was better than watching _his_ master laughing with the Song girl like they were old friends. Bad enough that the Nexus had kept him from his master for a year or more, but to find that the Zenyatta it had finally given him wasn't even _his_....

_:Beloved, you are being ridiculous,:_ his dragon scolded. _:What does it matter?:_

_It matters_ , he thought stubbornly. _This_ Zenyatta had years of memories of things Genji hadn't yet done, might now never do. _This_ Zenyatta saw that other Genji when he looked at him and it rankled. Once again, he wasn't good enough. Worse, he was losing to _himself_.

The thought had barely finished forming in his thoughts when Zenyatta suddenly stopped, then spun around and grabbed Genji's head in both hands.

“Now you listen to me, Shimada Genji,” the omnic barked in low yet forceful Japanese. “You haven't lost me and you aren't _going_ to lose me. Yes, you are not the Genji I knew before, just as I am not the Zenyatta _you_ knew. You gain a teacher with greater experience. I gain a chance to avoid the stupid fumbling mistakes I made the first time. Perspective is everything, my beloved student.”

Genji stood stock still; he _would not_ show weakness in front of anyone. Zenyatta sighed and pulled Genji's head down until their foreheads touched. Faintly, he could feel a building warmth, but only a moment and then it dissipated again.

“Have you been paying attention to anything or have you just been silently fuming back here?” Zenyatta asked. Genji huffed, refusing to admit he had no idea where they were or why.

Genji froze at the feeling of Teshimine's energy winding about his body. He could almost feel the warm scales against his skin, as impossible as that was. And then his guardian was taking physical form, dark green scales that shimmered with hints of blue, solid in a way Genji had never experienced, flesh and one instead of spun glass and light. This was a form even he had not seen in the past, though he had heard the stories all his life.

“My lord Teshimine, we are honored by your presence.”

Teshimine bowed shallowly to the Pandaren brewmaster standing before them, then flowed into the building. Genji trailed behind his dragon, startled to feel himself virtually transported to another world within a few steps; the outside had been matched to the steel and glass style of the rest of the Human Quarter, but inside it felt more like stepping backwards into Han China of the 17th Century. It set something to quivering in his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was apprehension or something else.

“Please join me in tea?” Chen Stormstout asked.

“Tea? Not ale?” D.va asked, a teasing smile on her lips.

“Tea,” the Pandaren repeated with a soft chuckle. “Li-Li has something she wants you to try, she says tea will pair better. And if we Stormstouts know anything, it's food and drink!”

Genji glanced around the room to which they had been lead, but though it pricked at his memories of days long gone, at least it didn't feel like a trap. He tried to decline the tea, but both Zenyatta and Teshimine were insisting, the latter settling on a pillow of his own at the low table. Swallowing back yet more frustration, he sank into proper seiza, but that was all. The mask would stay in place, he didn't care how much Zenyatta _or_ Teshimine wanted him to do otherwise. Though his resolve was tested when Li-Li and another Pandaren woman brought out a small feast of steamer baskets with over a dozen different savory and sweet dim sum. But that would mean exposing weakness and that was something he refused to do.

“You made all this, Li-Li-sshi?” D.va asked.

“Yup! Well, Arya helped. The ones with the pink bands are sweet, the blue bands have fish, the green bands are vegetarian, and the red bands have meat,” the young mage explained with a cheerful grin. “I wasn't sure, didn't want to assume. I know now all humans will eat meat, so....”

“Well I for one am going to try _everything_ ,” D.va said, grinning as well. “We might have to roll me out of here later, though, if this is as good as it smells. Thank you, Li-Li-sshi!”

Genji could feel Teshimine's desires like a low ebb, the dragon carefully helping himself to one of everything. Well, that explained the change in form, he supposed. Whatever, he didn't care, closing his eyes and tuning out the conversation around him. This whole outing was a waste of his time.

~*~*~

Hana watched the dainty way Teshimine ate and smiled to herself. Yet another thing she had never considered. To be fair, she hadn't believed dragons were real creatures until meeting Teshimine and....

“If you're Genji-sshi's real dragon, does that mean –,” she started, her throat closing on the rest of her words a moment before Teshimine started loudly broadcasting apologies.

_:Sorry, sorry, sorry, I know it's against the rules, but you_ can't _ask that in front of my heart.:_

Hana sat back and just blinked at the small dragon for a moment, trying to parse out his meaning. And then an image of Genji as she had first seen him flashed in her mind. An image that didn't look all that different from the man sitting across from her, armored and closed.

_Right_ , she reminded herself, _not my Genji._

_:But yes, Hanzo is bonded to two of my kind. And I cannot say if you will ever meet them.:_

Well that was only fair. She smiled and helped herself to another pork bun, eyes flicking sidelong to Genji. And yet the cyborg assassin seemed completely uninterested in the aborted conversation, even though it had been about his own dragon. In fact, she wasn't even sure that he was still awake, as weird as that thought felt. He was always so vigilant now, never relaxing. And yet at some point that had to stop, right? He might be more machine than human, mathematically, but he couldn't be hyper-vigilant forever ... could he?

“Zen....”

A beat and the omnic actually sighed.

“ _Healing him was a long process the first time_ ,” he said, easily transitioning from the common tongue to Korean. “ _I have no illusions it will be any less this time._ ”

“You should really try these sweet buns, Mr. Genji,” Li-Li said, plucking one out of the basket and setting it on his plate. “Athena said they were your favorite.”

Hana caught herself holding her breath, wondering how Genji would react. And yet he said nothing, didn't even so much as twitch. It was too weird, her curiosity pushing her to extend her senses outwards. Teshimine caught her, of course, but instead of reprimand or censure, he silently guided her, showing her how to properly touch just the surface of another's mind. Genji had, somehow or another, fallen asleep where he sat.

_:He hardly sleeps anymore, only the barest minimum and only when he can't put it off any longer. With his altered biology, I can't force him to sleep so easily as I could in his youth.:_

“That ... that can't be healthy,” she murmured, reverted to Common so Li-Li and Chen wouldn't be left out.

“His sleeping?” Zen asked. “Or should I say, lack of sleeping. No, it isn't, but Lucio isn't a cybertechnician, not that Genji is willing to discuss it even with him. And to be honest, I don't know who here _would_ be qualified.”

“Any of Jimmy's medical people, probably, but I'm guessing he isn't going to want to talk with any of them, either,” Hana said, huffing a little as she tried to solve the problem.

“He is ... bio-mechanical, yes? Both flesh and machine?” Chen asked, obviously trying not to offend out of ignorance. It was sweet ... and exactly the sort of thing she had come to expect from the brewmaster.

“Yes, what we call a cyborg,” Zenyatta said with a slight nod.

“But he still eats, yes?”

“Yes,” the omnic replied with another nod. “He has solar batteries for the mechanical parts, but he still needs to eat to get proper nutrition for his organic components.”

“When he's healthy, he eats like a horse,” Hana added with a fond smile, recalling eating competitions between Genji and McCree, back before the Nexus had intruded on their lives. It was a smile that didn't last long. “I ... I'm not sure how much he eats now.”

“Like everything else, not as he should,” Zenyatta conceded. “His heart is filled with so much anger, it makes reading him that much harder. Being here has, I'm afraid, undone what little progress my younger self had been able to make with him.”

“Ah, what I know of healing pales in comparison to one such as the good Lieutenant, but if it's sleep he needs and you think it would help, I have a fine tea we could try?”

“He would have to be willing to drink it first and, well...,” Zenyatta trailed off with a helpless sigh and gesture to Genji's untouched plate. “He is too mistrustful, it's a struggle to get him to let his guard down even for me, even when we are alone.”

“I'm not sure if I should be insulted that he fell asleep before even trying my cooking,” Li-Li said. “Or just glad that the Jade Lotus was able to bring him such peace.”

“As good as this is,” Hana said, “it makes me wish I'd been able to learn any of my grandmother's recipes and could share them with you.”

“Your Athena has quite the library herself, if you give me a list of dishes, I can look them up for next time?”

“It may take a few times of experimenting to get things right, but I don't mind being a guinea pig for that.”

“Great! Mama always said the best way to learn about people was with food!”

Hana laughed, but she couldn't help a lingering worry for Genji. Without McCree around to help her, she didn't know how she was going to reach him, help him. Not that she would wish this place on any more of her friends, of course not. But at the same time, she didn't know what else to do.

_:Be patient. Be yourself. In time, it will be enough.:_

~*~*~

This was not where he had been a moment ago. Scowling at the deep darkness around him, he pulled out his scanner, but the blasted thing wouldn't even turn on.

“Sombra.”

Silence. He tapped the earwig, but it didn't even beep at him. Another scowl and he started taking a closer look at his surroundings. Scrubby alpine with patches of snow, he was in the mountains _somewhere_ , but where? It was too dark, the sky above impossibly full of stars, more stars than he had ever seen in his entire life. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No pollution at all, just snow, pine, and ... cooking fires and hogs? That couldn't be right. With too many questions and no answers, Gabe followed his nose.

~*~*~

Her head was spinning worse than that one time she had mixed E and Hypnotiq. Closing her eyes, she rubbed at her face with her hand, then stopped and pulled her hand back. Her glove was missing. Fear spiked through her and she sat up sharply, only to fall back with a low groan.

“Easy there, give yourself a chance to adapt.”

Sombra blinked up at the face that could have almost been her mother's.

“ _Tia_?” she croaked, even as he mind screamed at her that of course it couldn't be her aunt. “Where...?”

“My names Rosa. Welcome to the Nexus.”

Sombra had entirely too many questions. Instead of asking any of them, though, she passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of Gabe and Sombra because reasons. At this rate, this fic is never going to end, I know. Brushing against yet more headcanons, both in Warcraft and StarCraft because yeah, I've been in these fandoms a long-ass time now. ;)
> 
> The line "You cannot kill Death" is not in the HotS voice lines, but it is something Malthael says in the D3 expansion cinematic (I think), and I could easily see him voicing the line in the arenas of HotS in this verse, so there we are.

Rosa clicked her tongue as she reviewed the scanner's results, trying to ignore the over-eager elvish woman trying to peer over her shoulder. Her patient was clearly not from Azeroth _or_ her own home universe, so unless the Nexus was taking people from another universe entirely now.... She walked over to her suit and hit the comm button on the inside of one arm.

“Computer, connect to Athena, please.”

_“This is Athena. How may I help you today, Lieutenant Morales?”_ the Overwatch Tower's AI asked.

“It might be a long shot, but we've got a new arrival to the Nexus and I'm hoping you can identify her. Sending you the scans now.”

A soft chirp acknowledged the transfer of files, but even Rosa was surprised at how quickly Athena responded.

_“Patient is identified as Talon operative 'Sombra,' no other designation known. Priority alert, condition red, alerting Security.”_

“Athena?”

_“Rosa? It's Lena, you're still in Nemai'Aran, yeah? Ana's already on her way. I don't know what all tech you've got, luv, but I'd get it as far away from Sombra as possible. She ..._ probably _couldn't hack any of your systems, but why take chances, yeah?”_

“She's in no condition to do such a thing, but thanks for the warning,” Rosa said, shaking her head a little. She doubted this woman could really pose a threat to their systems, especially since the network was running on Protoss protocols, but why tempt fate by saying that aloud?

“Excuse me, but what is going on?” her Kaldorei shadow asked with a brief brush of fingers to her arm.

“Our patient is, if I understand things correctly, a known terrorist on her homeworld, someone who uses computers instead of physical weapons,” Rosa said, rearranging her equipment and then projecting a stasis field over the young woman. “I have a hard time buying that she poses much of a threat _here_ , but better safe than sorry, as Tio Matt used to say. But Ms. Amari is going to need an escort from the warp prism, if you could arrange that?”

“I can do that,” her shadow, whose name Rosa didn't even know, said happily, darting out of the room. She really needed to ask her name when the woman came back.

“Lieutenant Morales....”

Rosa looked up, surprised to see Malfurion himself filling the doorway of the small building the druids had gifted her as an infirmary. Augmented by the Protoss for her use, it had been intended as a sort of home base during Hana's recovery, to insure after matches she would be brought back to Nemai'Aran instead of Khor-emeth. D.va may have talked her way into staying in Khor-emeth now, but Rosa found herself reluctant to leave. Fortunate, since it meant she had been here to deal with Sombra, but it did feel a bit odd being outside of any sort of normal command structure.

“... I'm really sorry, but what _is_ the proper form of address? My people haven't really dealt with titles and peerage in ... awhile.”

“Ah, well, 'Lord Stormrage' is generally more than sufficient, if you feel the need to insist on such a thing, though Archdruid or sir would work as well,” Malfurion said with a small smile. “The warp prism sent a priority alert? For this woman?”

“You got that?” she asked, surprised, since the last she had heard, the Kaldorei were not especially interested in anything to do with Protoss technology.

“Archivist Laesis made quite the impression on our Librarian. The alert?”

“Right, sorry. Athena identified our guest here as a known threat. Or, well, she's a threat on _their_ world, I'm not convinced she could do much damage here. But I'm also not about to take any chances, so I've put her in stasis. I've also disconnected or deactivated any of her cybernetics that could pose a threat.”

“I doubt I understood half of that,” the druid said with a wry grin, “but if she comes running out of here, she should be stopped, is that what you're saying?”

“Definitely. She's contained, for now, but I'll have to lift the stasis field when Ms. Amari gets here, probably, and once I do that.... There's nowhere for her to go, but Miss Sombra here doesn't know that yet and from what I've been told, she isn't likely to want to stay captive.”

“I see. If she escapes you, we should be able to recapture her easily enough, I'm sure,” Malfurion said with a careful nod. “I will leave her debriefing for you and Ms. Amari. Between Thea and Antaris, you should have no troubles, but I will be at the Library if you need me.”

Rosa thanked the archdruid, silently hoping it wouldn't be necessary for her to admit that she didn't know who Thea or Antaris were. If she was going to continue living in this city, she really was going to have to get to know more of its inhabitants. But first things first.

“Miss –.”

“Now is no time to stand on stuffy protocol,” an older woman's gruff voice interrupted. “I take it that's a stasis field you're projecting, Lieutenant.”

Glancing up, Rosa smiled, though it faded all too quickly at Ana Amari's continued severe glower, and she had to resist the urge to sigh. Six months only sounded like a long time on paper. Rosa didn't know how much actual experience Ana had with either Terran Dominion or Protoss technologies. What she obviously  _did_ have was Lena's concern that Sombra could somehow be a danger to them. Even while seeing the woman in question was out cold.

“Yes, she's completely shut down, in fact. Not that I –.”

Rosa's words stopped as a Protoss soldier, bent nearly in half, stepped into the room. And then straightened to reveal himself as Artanis.

“Please, be at ease, Lieutenant,” the templar said, his voice only sort of easing her sudden nerves. “Athena was _quite_ insistent that our AI was underestimating the threat and wouldn't stop pinging the network until I agreed to send someone to assist you.”

“We've underestimated Sombra in the past,” Ana said, crossing her arms over her chest, “and it's _always_ come back to bite us in the ass.”

“No offense was intended,” the templar said and Rosa was surprised to see him raising his hands in a very human gesture of placation. “If she intends disharmony, she will be handled, one way or another.”

Something cold trickled down Rosa's spine, memories of learning how to manage chipped Marine grunts and the Confederacy's various methods of dealing with those they had labeled as “disruptive influences.” She could all too easily imagine what the Protoss, with their powerful psychic abilities, could do to force compliance.

_:We are not barbarians, little flower,:_ Artanis's voice whispered without actually speaking. She shivered again, then turned back to her field suit.

“I'm turning off the stasis field now, but it may still take her a minute or two to wake,” she said before keying in the appropriate command. She then waited, watching her scanner as Sombra's bio readings slowly rolled over from stasis to sleep, then on towards wakefulness. Sombra took a deep breath and Rosa had to bite back the urge to order Ana Amari to stand down. Instead, she nudged the sniper aside, positioning herself so she would be the first face her newest patient saw when she opened her eyes. It didn't take her long.

“ _Tia ... no ... no puede_....”

“ _No, no soy_ ,” Rosa agreed with a faint smile. “How do you feel, Miss Sombra?”

Sombra closed her eyes again and groaned.

“Like the proverbial sailor after a three day pass ... but I don't remember having a good time,” the woman said. A beat and she was sitting up sharply. “What the hell happened to my implants? Where am I??”

“You didn't really think we'd make the same mistake of letting you have access to our networks again, did you?” Ana asked with a snort, drawing Sombra's eyes. But only for a second, the young woman's face going unnaturally pale as she saw who else was in the room. A room that looked nothing like the infirmaries of Overwatch or anywhere else Sombra had likely been on her world, Rosa was certain.

“What. The fuck. Is going on?” Sombra asked with what sounded like a nervous tremor to her voice.

“You've been brought to a place called the Nexus,” Rosa said gently. “This is my infirmary in the Kaldorei city of Nemai'Aran. I deactivated the implants that weren't serving an immediate biological need, but since Lord Artanis is here, I'm going to start bringing them all back online, okay? Just give me a few seconds.”

“Lieutenant, you can't seriously –,” the Overwatch sniper started.

“Nemai'Aran's network, such as it even exists, uses strictly Protoss encryption,” Rosa interrupted as she started restoring Sombra's cybernetics. “They even upgraded my suit. However brilliant you think Miss Sombra is, she isn't going to wreck havoc, especially not with a high templar standing right over there.”

“Protoss ... and Kaldorei?” Sombra repeated, frowning. “Those two things don't go together. It's fiction. A hundred years ago, some white dudes sat around and dreamed up all kinds of things, it's not real!”

“This sounds like Miss Song should be here,” Artanis murmured from where he was trying to be small in a corner of the room.

“Song? As in D.va? Noooo, no, no, no,” Sombra said, trying to scramble off the bed. And ending up flat on her face instead. Rosa started to round the bed, but Artanis was already using his telekinesis to lift Sombra back onto the exam bed.

“... surprised you let her fall in the first place,” Rosa mumbled, glancing over at the scanner again, and the Protoss actually laughed.

“I have noticed,” the templar said calmly, folding himself into a seated position, “that sometimes a sharp, sudden shock of pain can do wonders to focus humans on what is actually important in a given situation. As well as a reminder that one is not, in fact, invincible.”

“You don't understand,” Sombra said with a low groan. “D.va doesn't know, I can't meet her like this.”

“I'm more interested in knowing how you got here,” Ana grumbled.

“The Tower was informed that the Nexus is actively stealing additional recruits,” Artanis said in a low tone that, to Rosa's ear, sounded an awful lot like a disappointed frown. “Though I do find it curious that it chose to deposit Miss Sombra out here instead of closer to the Tower.”

“She's not Overwatch,” Ana said, sneering. “She's Talon. She's not welcome.”

“I don't need your _charity_ , old hag!” Sombra snapped before groaning and sinking back down on the bed.

“In that case, your concerns have been noted, Ms. Amari. You may return to Khor-emeth.”

Despite the casualness of his tone, Artanis's eyes blazed with a rare intensity. The sniper hesitated a moment, then nodded, giving Sombra a last glower before leaving. Rosa let out a heavy sigh at the release of tension, then went over Sombra's readings again.

“Want the good news or the bad news first?” Rosa asked.

“Might as well start with the worst. I'm dying, right?”

“Actually, I was going to say there's no way out of the Nexus, so chances of you ever going home again are currently zero,” Rosa said, keying in another test sequence.

“Home isn't exactly.... Never mind. What's the good news?”

“We can correct the botched cybernetics and counter the heavy metal exposure,” Rosa said, already patched in to Gaia to send the relevant data to her boss. The commander would have to do the more delicate replacement work, but she didn't think any of it would pose a real issue for him.

“... why would you do that? And how much is it going to cost me?”

“Why wouldn't we? Anyway, health care services are provided without charge.”

“Bullshit, everything costs something, no one does anything for free,” Sombra grumbled.

“You're right, but whether you accept my help or not, my pay's the same,” Rosa said, faking indifference as she shrugged. “If you're that keen on dying because of a back alley hack job....”

The silence in the air was charged with all sorts of emotions. Rosa was just glad Artanis hadn't said anything to spoil her bluff; she really didn't think she could just sit back and watch Sombra die.

“... how does this Nexus work?”

“That's an awfully broad question,” Rosa said with a little frown. “Can you be more specific?”

“Before I woke up here, I was on a mission with a couple other Talon operatives. Would the Nexus have grabbed them as well? Or just me?”

“The Sentinels found you alone in the forest, but other than that ... I don't know? Artanis?”

“Either is possible, I would have to consult our logs to say with certainty,” the templar said with a shallow nod. “I think you will find, Miss Sombra, that your old skill set is of limited value here. Are you certain you don't want to speak with Miss Song?”

“Not like this I don't,” she said, scowling. “I don't need her pitying me like I'm some dying invalid.”

The way Artanis tilted his head, the way his eyes blazed briefly, Rosa couldn't help wondering what it was the templar saw in Sombra's mind in that moment.

“Very well. Your network access will remain as it currently is. If you change your mind, Lieutenant Morales will know how to reach me.”

Rosa nodded, not about to contradict the templar in front of Sombra.

_:Just going to the Library, little flower,:_ Artanis sent, his hand briefly brushing against her back. She was too startled at the contact, he was gone before she could even think of a response.

~*~*~

Gabriel Reyes crouched on a stout limb, scowling down at the encampment below this ridge. Orcs. He was watching an encampment of orcs, complete with green skins, leather tents, and wooden spikes everywhere. At first, he had tried to tell himself they were just a large group of insanely dedicated cosplayers. But the longer he had watched them, the more obviously inhuman they had shown themselves to be. And the less inclined Reyes himself had become to reveal himself to them. 

Worse, the camp looked like something from the Dark Ages, with only one exception: a construct of golden metal and blue light that looked completely out of place at the very edge of the encampment. Whatever it was, it had not been built by orcish hands. Orcs and trolls both kept a wary eye on the structure that overshadowed their tents, at least four armed warriors guarding it at all times. Clearly it was both important and frightening, but why? Reyes didn't know, but it was the only tech he had seen in three days of exploring the forested slope of this mountain. Wherever he was, the strange structure was his only chance of getting back to humanity, of that much he was certain. But gaining access....

Gritting his teeth, he glared at the setting sun. When full dark set in, then perhaps he would have a chance.

~*~*~

“You're sure?”

“Misha can smell death on him, but not death. She is certain he is watching us, whatever he is. From the trees.”

“All right, old friend, I believe you,” Thrall said, glancing out at the tree line beyond their tents. He could almost hear Vol'jin scolding him for being needlessly reckless as he stepped out beyond the tents, his hammer set aside. And perhaps it _was_ reckless, but he had to try. He just hoped this stranger spoke the common Lordaeron tongue; Thrall had no idea how they would communicate otherwise.

“We know you are out there,” he called out to the darkness, holding his hands out at his sides. “Are you Forsaken or Scourge?”

Nothing. Well why would it be easy, right? Thrall sighed and glanced back at Rexxar and Misha. The hunter made a subtle gesture and Thrall walked over to put himself between the trees and the warp prism.

“Are you Forsake or Scourge? The Nexus is imperfect, but we cannot help if you do not tell us of yourself. We mean you no harm, stranger.”

The laugh that floated out of the trees was unnerving, profane. And then heavy black smoke flowed out between the trunks, forming the shape of a masked man. Thrall could see some sort of body armor under the black cloak, lightweight like a rogue, but the style was not one he recognized.

“You cannot kill Death.”

“You are not Malthael,” Thrall said, frowning at the hooded figure who looked nothing like the Angel of Death and yet spoke his same words. The distorted skull mask turned towards him and Thrall realized it was hooded coat, not a cloak. If he had not seen him form out of smoke, he might have thought him to be one of Raynor's people.

“Malthael? No, I am Death. I am Reaper.”

“... you're the anomaly from three days ago,” Thrall said as the realization hit him. “Not from Azeroth ... Sanctuary, perhaps?”

“Your words mean nothing to me,” the masked man said as he started walking, flowing towards the warp prism. Thrall nodded to himself; if he took this ... _person_ at his word, that left only one other world as an option, though he wasn't quite sure how.

“Prism, notify Khor-emeth Security – we've found the breach,” he rumbled in Orcish, watching their guest. The prism's light shifted to purple and Thrall took a deep breath. Not that it mattered if the prism was locked down on their end or not – the only place this Reaper could have gone would have been Khor-emeth. Indeed, he couldn't help wondering if that might not have been better.

Thrall felt it, the ripple of energy from the warp prism, though he wasn't quite sure he knew what it had done. The air itself seemed to shimmer and dance a moment, and then a Protoss warrior stood before him, a dark cloak thrown over his shoulder. A familiar hum filled the air a moment as a single warp blade flickered to life briefly, then shut down again.

“My lord Zeratul....”

“You are ... Gabriel Reyes,” the dark templar's translator rumbled as he turned towards their unexpected guest. “Come. Your ... companion will be ... glad to see you again.”

The masked figure stood perfectly still for a long moment. Thrall wondered just what he was thinking. From what he had heard, for nearly all of the races brought to the Nexus, one's first encounter with a Protoss was quite the unique experience. But it had to be particularly hard for one from the world of Overwatch, where the Protoss were firmly established as purely fictional.

“Who?” Reaper asked at last.

“Talon Operative Sombra.”

In an instant, Reaper had crossed the distance between them, menace written in every line of his stance. A menace that failed to be comical, even though Zeratul easily towered over him by a meter or more, completely unbothered by Reaper's aggression.

“Take me to her. Now.”

For a moment, Thrall thought Zeratul might balk at such arrogance. Instead, the dark templar offered a polite bow to Thrall, then turned back to the warp prism. The prism hummed, the light fading back to blue, and Zeratul glanced back at Reaper once more.

“Are you coming?”

Reaper snarled something that Thrall suspected was quite rude, then stepped forward, though he still hesitated before taking the last step past Zeratul. And in an instant, he was gone. Yet Zeratul was not.

“Clan lord. The prism connection should reset to Khor-emeth after I have passed through, but I would recommend against testing it right away. That one's rage makes him even more dangerous than his companion.”

“I understand. Thank you for coming. And for explaining.”

Zeratul bowed again, then stepped into the prism's light, immediately disappearing. A sigh and Thrall turned to the nearest guards.

“All right, you heard Lord Zeratul, keep everyone out of the prism until I say otherwise. We may be at peace with the Kaldorei, but old habits and hatreds die hard. I cannot say for sure what would happen if one of us was sent to Nemai'Aran by mistake. Or how long it would take to get you back.”

The guards saluted, but Thrall noticed the wary looks that passed between them. In truth, most of his fellow orcs distrusted the warp prism, viewing it as worse than magic. From what he knew, the warp prism could indeed be a useful tool, but he knew very few of his people saw it that way. Hopefully, that distrust wouldn't turn to resentment. Thrall didn't want to think about what he might have to do if it did.

~*~*~

It was the stupidest thing, but Sombra found fishing really _was_ relaxing. There was a certain tree on the very edge of the river a good hundred and fifty meters beyond the unfinished city's rear gate, the roots of which had formed the perfect nest. As long as she packed a lunch, she could hole up there all day and no one would bother her. It was almost like being free.

Of course that was an illusion. For one thing, there was nowhere to go. Nemai'Aran stood alone in the forest. The allied capital of Khor-emeth was too far for her to get there on foot, even if she'd had any idea which direction to go. Not that she hadn't tried once anyway, getting herself completely lost within an hour. She had actually been a little relieved when two elves had come after her, even if riding on the back of a cat had to now be her least favorite mode of transportation.

“Sombra? Are you here?”

Thea. At least it was a druid and not a Sentinel.

“You know I am,” she said, watching her fishing line. “It's not even dusk yet.”

“The Protoss look for you,” the druid said, perching on one of the larger roots. Sombra couldn't think of a single reason why the Protoss should care about her, but....

“Does it have to be now? I haven't caught anything all day today.”

“Does it matter?”

“Feels like a waste of a day if I don't have anything to show for it,” she said at last, sighing. If she couldn't even fish, she was going to have to learn some other trade and she wasn't exactly looking forward to that process. One thing to learn something like blacksmithing or leather-working in a computer game, but Sombra had no illusions that she would enjoy either here in the real world.

“Some days,” Thea said as she slid down to crouch at the water's edge, “the fish just aren't hungry. There is no shame in that.”

Though she couldn't think _what_ , Sombra was almost certain the druid was doing _something_ to the river. And yet nothing happened. Maybe she was just imagining it? After all, a druid's work was with plants and green magic, not fish, right?

Then her bobber started bouncing and Sombra had to work quickly to reel in her line. Her eyes went a little wide at the fat firefin that broke the surface. Almost entirely inedible, but valuable to the city's alchemists, she had already learned. Far more so than she had ever remembered from her days in the game world. Then again, this world wasn't _that_ world and fishing was, surprisingly, not all that popular among the city's inhabitants.

“Maybe I should go fishing with you more often, Thea,” she said as she dealt with the fish, almost as long as her entire forearm.

“I'm sure I had nothing to do with your good fortune just now,” the elf replied with a sniff, tossing her braid over her shoulder. Sombra didn't buy _that_ for one second, but she was fine letting it go, too. It wasn't like she really wanted to spend more time with the druid anyway.

“Will you come back to the city _now_?” Thea asked, wiping her hands against each other. “I don't think Lord Zeratul is someone used to being kept waiting.”

“Lord ... are you serious?!?”

“... why would I be lying?” the druid asked, clearly confused by the question.

“You could have said sooner _he_ was the one looking for me,” Sombra huffed, hurriedly packing up the rest of her things. She still had no idea why the Protoss would want her, but keeping a heroic elder of the Dark Templar waiting was not her idea of a smart move. Thea took the hint, stepping clear of the tree roots before using her magic to take the form of an elk, complete with decorative yoke. Sombra settled her gear, then pulled herself up onto the elk's back. She still wasn't a fan of bare-back riding, but this was better than second seat on a cat.

Thea didn't hesitate, rushing headlong through forest and city alike until they were back at the Temple of Elune. Several Kaldorei had gathered at the colonnade, along with the towering Dark Templar. But from the moment she noticed him, the only one Sombra really saw was Reaper. Scrambling from Thea's back, she rushed forward, only just barely managing to stop herself from actually trying to tackle him. She had already been warned the people she met in the Nexus might not be “her” versions of them. It wasn't like she and Reaper were friends in her world anyway. Just colleagues, fellow Talon operatives, each with their own personal agendas. And yet for a second she could have sworn Reaper was actually glad to see her.

“Sombra,” Reaper said, offering her a professional nod. Of course. Just fellow operatives, nothing more.

“Reaper,” she murmured, holding herself rigid, professional. Calm.

“Is there anyone else here?” he asked.

“From Talon? No, not as far as I know, anyway,” she replied, glancing up at the Kaldorei and Zeratul. Would they even tell them if there were? Then again, why would any of them lie?

“It is my understanding that all the others from your world are Overwatch operatives,” Zeratul said, his voice cold and formal. “I suspect this is why neither of you were left outside Khor-emeth.”

“Who?” Reaper demanded. Sombra had the unsettling feeling that he was somehow glaring at both her and Zeratul at the same time, even though they weren't even standing next to each other.

“Lena Oxten, known as Tracer. Lucio Correia dos Santos. Aleksandra Zaryanova, known as Zarya. Shimada Genji. Song Han-Ah, known as D.va. Jamison Fawkes, known as Junkrat. Ana Amari, known as Shrike. And Tekhartha Zenyatta.”

“... that's it?”

“For now,” Zeratul said with a shallow nod. “The Nexus does as it wishes, there is no way to know who or when someone else might be taken.”

Zeratul stiffened and then vanished with a soft pop. Sombra didn't know what to make of that at all. That wasn't Protoss teleportation or warping, not the way she had learned of it anyway, so what the hell had just happened?

“The Nexus,” Thea said, holding out Sombra's fishing gear for her. “Will your friend here also wish to remain in Nemai'Aran?

“Do I have a choice?” Reaper asked in a caustic growl.

“There are three cities here in this realm, in addition to a number of other realms. If staying here is so repugnant, we can petition to Elune that the angels and dragons send you elsewhere within the Nexus.”

“I would _prefer_ to go home,” Reaper snarled.

“You would not be the only one,” Thea replied, surprisingly calm in the face of Reaper's aggression. “And yet it remains quite impossible.”

Reaper's claws scraped against each other a moment and then, in a cloud of black smoke, he was simply gone. Sombra caught herself holding her breath and forced herself to exhale.

“That ... did he do that?”

“Reaper ... they did something to him, a long time ago. Lots of things. He's ... not exactly human anymore. Not like you're used to knowing them, anyway. But yeah, he did that himself,” Sombra said, sighing in spite of herself. She still couldn't say if this Reaper was the one she knew or not, and at the moment she wasn't even sure it mattered. It wasn't like she had ever been anything but a coworker to her Reaper, if even that. They might have done missions together, but ... Reaper wasn't exactly loyal to anyone but himself.

“Everyone reacts to the Nexus differently,” Thea said with a slight nod. “He must find and walk his own path. Do you think he will wish to stay here? Or should we call to Elune?”

“I'm not even sure if he's _my_ Reaper or not,” Sombra confessed, hating the distress in her voice. “My best guess? He's not going to want to stay _anywhere_. Not here, not Khor-emeth, not _any_ of the realms.”

“Then may he find peace in the forest,” Thea said softly. Sombra didn't have the heart to tell the druid that she didn't think Reaper knew the meaning of the word. Not anymore.

~*~*~

Genji noticed the abrupt drop in temperature and frowned, triggering a quick sensory diagnostic. But no, there was no malfunction, it really was ten degrees colder in Nemai'Aran than it had been in Khor-emeth. A beat and he pulled off the hoodie Zenyatta had insisted he wear, silently offering it to Hana. The surprise on her face set off a ripple of guilt in his chest.

“It's not like I need it or anything,” he huffed. “But if you don't want it....”

“Thank you, Genji-sshi,” she said softly, tugging it on quickly as they moved away from the warp prism.

Genji didn't want to admit it, but this place was making him uneasy. Not that he had felt especially comfortable anywhere in the Nexus for some time now, but.... The city was both alien and familiar, construction that perfectly replicated the games but in real wood and stone, not the saturated colors and light of the game world. A wisp circled around his head and he froze, tracking the impossible ball of fuzzy light, pure spiritual energy.

“Welcome back, Lady Song. Welcome to Nemai'Aran, sir knight.”

He snorted before he could stop himself and Hana elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Even if he deserved it, he still scowled at her under his mask.

“Did we misjudge the seasons?” Hana asked the elf who had come to meet them.

“Hmm? Oh, the snow,” their escort said, chuckling. “No, no, a young mage's spellcasting got a bit away from her. They say this should all clear up in another hour or so. Would you like to see your apartment first or...?”

“Apartment, please,” Hana said with a shallow bow. “How is the city progressing?”

“With the expected quibbles about whose shops should go where and whether it would be better to build vertically or laterally. Or both,” the Kaldorei male said cheerfully. He kept talking, but Genji only half listened. The elf stood head and shoulders above Genji, but he was used to that these days. The way their guide spoke, using his hands as much as his words, made Genji think he was on the younger end, but from what he remembered of the Warcraft games and lore, that wasn't necessarily saying much.

Genji was surprised when they were led to a discreet, ground floor apartment. Two rooms, a front room for entertaining that could be opened to the city, and a rear sleeping room with wooden shutters over half-moon windows. The front room had a small cooking station, conspicuous in the fact that it looked like a modified Terran installation amidst the otherwise very elvish decor.

“Um....”

“We thought you would be more comfortable like this,” their guide said with a small smile. “The nearest communal kitchen is two streets to the core, you can't miss it. There's a bath house just to the rear of this building. If you need help, there is always someone to answer inquiries at the Library. Oh, and the bank clock calls the quarter hours, though the half and cross tones are easily missed. But if you need to recalibrate any time pieces....”

“Thank you, Tyrendel-sshi,” Hana said, smiling and bowing politely. Genji conceded to giving the man a polite nod, waiting for him to leave before he started prowling the apartment for a more thorough security assessment. The door and front room panels were the most obvious points of entry or egress, though the windows in the sleep room were far from secure. The bath house behind them was so close Genji could almost reach out and touch it. Stubborn scrub grass grew in an incongruously neat lawn between the two rows of buildings, though Genji couldn't immediately tell what the buildings on either side of this one or the bath house were.

“Genji-sshi, seriously, give it a rest, will you? Just because Sombra-sshi and Reaper-sshi are out there somewhere, that doesn't mean you have to be this level of paranoid. It's really creeping me out.”

“What did you say?” he asked flatly.

“We're supposed to be relaxing, remember?”

“That's not what you said before.”

“Is so,” she countered, pouting at him. “Anyway, no one's seen Reaper-sshi since yesterday, not that I'm sure it even matters. He's as cut off as the rest of us.”

For a long moment all Genji could do was gape at her, though of course she had no way of knowing that. Just how naive could a girl be??

_:Less than you think, love:_ his dragon scolded. _:Don't underestimate her. You've seen her on the field of combat, you should know better.:_

“Why bring me here?” he asked instead.

“Because you're a stubborn jackass sometimes,” Hana said, tucking her bags into a corner of the sleep room. “Now come on.”

“Why? And where?”

“Lucio-sshi doesn't know cybernetics and Zen's healing abilities are all metaphysical. And since you refuse to see any of Jimmy's doctors in the city, Rosa it is.”

“I don't –.”

Hana interrupted him by grabbing his wrist and starting to tug him towards the door. Or at least he assumed that was what she was trying to do. Strong as she was, Hana couldn't shift his mass once he had his feet set.

“Shimada Genji! Pick up your damn feet and come on!”

“I don't need a medic,” Genji growled.

“That's bullshit. And if you don't pick up your damn feet and move, I'll call Rosa here. _And_ her two eager beaver students.”

“I don't need a medic,” he repeated, jerking his wrist free to cross his arms over his chest.

“... fine, you want to play hard, we'll play hard,” Hana grumbled, stomping back into the sleep room. Genji waited a beat, then slipped out of the apartment. He didn't need a medic.


End file.
